


He Reminds You Of Him, Doesn't He?

by hirusen



Series: Detroit: Deviant Tales [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Breakfast, Connor Stays With Gavin For A Few Nights, Cooking, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Detroit Police Department (Detroit: Become Human), Developing Relationship, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Drinking, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Emotional Hurt, Falling In Love, Father-Son Relationship, Forehead Kisses, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gavin Reed Smokes, Gavin Reed has Issues, Gavin Reed has cats, Hangover, Hank Anderson and Connor Live Together, Kissing, Language, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Naked Cuddling, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Secrets, Sexual Tension, Surprise Kissing, Tension, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 09:10:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17404106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirusen/pseuds/hirusen
Summary: A few months after the revolution, Gavin's behavior towards Connor changes; Hank sees just how much it's changed when he and Reed are given horrific news.





	1. Two Months

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have a headcanon that Gavin is actually a total sweetheart once he trusts someone enough to let his walls down, as well as the fact that he and Kamski are brothers, and well...this happened. Enjoy!

"No, no I'm telling you! You  _have_ to try the hot chocolate down at the local coffee shop; it is the  **best** I've ever had!" Gavin implores as he feels a smile turn his usual scowl into a wide grin, the man he was with in the break area giggling softly. "I'll have to take your word on that, Detective Reed. You know that androids can't consume human substances." "Oh, bullshit, tin can! We ALL know that you guys can! Your owners just never allowed you to." Gavin again was gifted with the sound of Connor giggling at his words.

It's been two whole months since Markus lead the revolution that freed all androids from human control, and allowed deviants to finally live in peace. It took only a month after the chaos that had ensued during the revolution for all androids around the world to be free, and only a half a month after that for them to be given the exact same rights as humans. And much to everyone's surprise in the Detroit Police Department, Gavin's attitude towards androids has changed. Well, not towards ALL androids, but at least how he treats Connor is extremely different.

As in, when he first returned to the DPD after the revolution with Hank the first thing he did was apologize for his actions in the evidence room.

 _"It's not an issue, Detective Reed. You were simply doing what you thought was right."_ His words still echoed in his thoughts as he gazed over Connor's face. His pale skin, the distant and light sprinkling of moles on his face, his warm chocolate brown eyes, his raven hair, the little piece of it that gently curls against his forehead, his full kissable lips...  _The fuck, Reed? You trying to fuck his mental image?_ He shook the thought away, annoyed by it's reappearance. He's been having those kinds of thoughts for... Well actually as long as he's known Connor. It really pissed him off when these thoughts about the android sent by Cyberlife first showed up, but now they just annoyed him.

 _Connor and I are... Okay, not **friends** per say, but defiantly closer than when we first met._ How could they not be? Connor, after talking to Lieutenant Anderson, has sorta dragged Reed into more and more of their investigations; he even contacted Elijah to see if he could make a custom android partner for Gavin, which of course the man proudly said that he would, though it would take up to a year to make it by hand since he didn't want to go to Cyberlife to use their parts. Connor had mentioned to Gavin that Elijah was most likely going to be testing prototype parts with the android he was crafting for him.

 _Prick would do that..._ "Connor!" Hank's voice boomed from across the bullpen, causing both men to startle, "Come on! It's time to go home!" "Coming, Lieutenant!" Connor called, giving Gavin a smile and nod before jogging over to the older man, a bright smile plastered onto his lips. Hank locked his gaze with Reed's, and the two men glared at each other, the hostility behind Hank's eyes causing Gavin to bristle. Even if Connor's been pulling Reed into their investigations, it hasn't had the easing effect on the two department rivals like he was possibly hoping for.

Hank broke the staring contest off first after Connor placed a hand on his shoulder, a worried look on his face; a look that made Gavin feel a little guilty, even though he normally wouldn't. "Is everything alright, Hank?" "...It's fine, son. Let's go home."

Son.

The word had the 36 year old pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth. He remembers back when he was a fresh officer in the department, idolizing Hank for his work and becoming totally enraptured by the man every time he referred to him as 'son'. But after the case which granted him seven scars on his face, including his most obvious one, he grew cold and distant; he turned into a foul-mouthed hardass who used whatever means he could get away with to climb the ranks, and his sudden attitude change is what sparked the rivalry between him and Hank.

Gavin glanced at his phone and realized that he could finally go home as well, so he gathered his things and headed outside. As soon as he was out the door though, his hand dug into his jacket pocket and he pulled out a pack of smokes, flicking the lid open to grab both his lighter and a cigarette. Dangling it between his lips as he lit up, Gavin inhaled deeply, cradling the cigarette between his right middle and pointer fingers as he pulled it from his mouth and blew the smoke up. He thought he would have quit smoking by now, given that he's a detective and he'll need to have good health if he's gonna chase after a suspect; despite his bad habit, his health hasn't been too affected by his smoking.

It's like Hank with his drinking: it's mostly done to help relieve stress. ...Well, Hank has other reasons for why he drinks, but when Reed had noticed the habit first starting to form with Hank, it had mostly been cause of stress. He took another deep drag of his smoke before he leaned against his motorcycle, having chose to leave his car at home. Gavin was always drawn to the dangerous side of life--it was half the reason he became a cop--so he's had the bike since he was 15, having gotten permission from his father to learn how to drive before he legally could.

Opening up one of the storage compartments, Reed pulls out a pair of riding goggles and slips them on, finishing off his cigarette before flicking it to the ground and crushing it under his shoe. He straddles his bike, puts the key in the ignition, and starts it up, grinning to himself as the engine roars to life and hums under his body. Revving it a few times, Gavin quickly shifts gears and takes off, deciding to take the long way home in hopes of clearing his head. It's usually best if he doesn't get home with thoughts of Hank or Connor on his mind.


	2. Caretaker

"I really can't come with you, Hank?" Connor's voice has a tone of distress to it, which most likely was the reason Gavin glanced over to the duo from his desk, pausing mid-key stroke to listen in. "Fowler's orders, Connor; no androids allowed in the meeting." Connor's head dipped a little, a sad look in his eyes and Gavin was stunned by his sudden urge to hug the man.  _The hell? Why do you wanna hug him? Just because he looks sad?_ Apparently so, as he finds himself slightly irritated when Hank's hand gently sits on top of Connor's head, smoothing his hair down a little. "It'll be alright, Connor. I'm only gonna be gone for a week, and I'll contact you if anything should happen, okay?"

"...Alright, Lieutenant. I'll keep the house clean and Sumo taken care of while you're away." "...About that." Hank waited until Connor locked his eyes with him before going on. "One of the people in that meeting I'm pretty good friends with and she asked me to bring Sumo with me; her daughter has a two year old that has trouble keeping calm, and they've found that dogs help out the most." "Didn't they get a dog when they figured that out?" The android asked, his head tilted slightly, which Gavin admits is fucking cute. Hank sighed deeply. "They did, but...it got hit by a car three days ago. Her daughter's friend is leaving the day I get there, and he's taking his dog with him when he goes." "...I see." "Oh, Connor, come 'ere."

Hank gently pulled Connor into his arms and hugged him tightly and firmly, Reed seeing as the tension that had built up in Connor's shoulders and back easing up at the contact. "Everything will be okay, son. Don't worry so much, alright?" "I'm...trying not to, Hank, but..." Hank chuckled warmly, his deep voice tingling over Gavin's skin; it's been a long time since he's heard Hank laugh like that. "I know, kiddo." Hank pulled away, patting Connor's shoulder, before he gathered his things and left the department.

Once he was gone, Gavin watched Connor, taking in how he was reacting to the sudden meeting; they've happened before, and he'd been dragged into them as well, but most of the people on the force don't have their work partner living with them. It only took three minutes for Connor to deflate and sink down into Hank's chair, sorrow shining in his eyes. "...Fuck." Gavin quickly finished off his report before shoving out of his chair and striding over to Connor. "Everything alright?" Gavin asked as he leaned against Hank's desk, not too surprised to see Connor snap his eyes up to him.

"I'm...fine, Reed." "Bullshit, ya plastic prick." Gavin barked, mentally smacking himself when he saw Connor flinch. "...Have you ever been home alone before?" Reed softly asked and Connor shook his head. "I've always had Sumo with me before when Hank stayed out longer than he said he would. I mean, yes I'd get concerned for him after he's been away for an extended amount of time after he said he'd be home, but..." "...I can't believe I'm even suggesting this..." Gavin muttered and the android glanced up to meet his eyes.

"...Would, uh... Connor, would you like to stay with me until Hank comes back from the meeting?"

Two things. One, he's never called Connor by his name before now (because Reed doesn't consider the time he shouted his name when he was going down to the evidence room to officially count). Two, he's  _never_ seen the man so happy to hear his name said before. "I...would like that, Gavin. Thank you." Gavin nodded, more to himself than Connor, a long moment of awkward silence following them before Gavin cleared his throat. "Cool. I, um, I still have a little more to do before I leave for the day, but I'll, uh...I'll come get you when I'm done." He stuttered, a hand coming up to rub the back of his head nervously, and Connor's soft giggle met his ears.

"I understand, Detective Reed. I should finish up my own paperwork as well." Connor glanced up to him again, "I look forward to your return, Gavin." Named man muttered something he didn't know what under his breath, nodded his head, and moved off Hank's desk, quickly ducking into the break area to grab a coffee to hopefully calm both his nerves and his frantically beating heart. His usual drinking buddy, Tina Chen, hasn't been in for a few days--she was out due to surgery--so Gavin didn't really have anyone to talk to in hopes to figure out why he was both nervous and ecstatic to have Connor over at his home.

 _...It's just because he's like... **him** isn't it?_ The thought had Gavin's chest squeezing painfully tight, but he didn't let the pain cross his face. What happened was years ago, an old wound, but...one he now realized is a reopened wound. Gavin's eyes gravitated to Hank's desk, falling easily onto Connor's form as he worked; beautifully focused, occasionally running his pointer or thumb over his lips in thought. Looking at him caused the pain to increase, while also ease. What was it that he was feeling every time he looked at Connor? It wasn't hate, not anymore, so what?

...Could he have--  _No, don't be stupid, Reed. You didn't, and there's no way in hell that he'd feel the same even if you had._ He's given up on ever feeling like he did with... **him** ever since the incident all those years ago. All that mattered now was his career. Well, that and three little cuties back home. Taking his half empty cup of coffee back to his desk--when the hell did he even take a drink from it?--he quickly set about finishing his work.

Twenty minutes later, he was done with the last report for the day and he took a steadying breath.  _Why am I so fucking nervous? It's just Connor._ Maybe because he's never had an android in his home before? It was the only reason that made sense to him; it was the only part of his life that he's successfully managed to keep androids out of. ...Until tonight, it would seem. Pushing out of his chair, Gavin quickly grabbed his things and made his way towards Hank's desk where Connor sat. "Ready to go?" Gavin asked and Connor nodded his head, powering down Hank's computer before standing up and swallowing up Gavin's right side. "Ready."

Gavin nodded his head and lead them out of the station, desperately ignoring the eyes that followed them out. Connor cocked a brow when Gavin dug a hand into his jacket pocket, frowning when he pulled out a pack of smokes. "You do know those aren't good for your health, correct?" "Check again, tin can. My health's just fine." Gavin spotted as Connor's LED (which he kept to help keep the other officers at ease) blinked from blue to yellow, pausing in lighting up his smoke to watch it flicker. "...My apologizes, Detective Reed. It would appear that you're correct." Connor commented, Gavin using his voice to snap out of his trance and finish lighting up, taking a deep drag of his smoke.

"You can get in if you want, I'm gonna finish this first." Gavin spoke, lifting up his cigarette a little higher, but Connor stayed by his side. "...I just wanted to, to say thank you again, Gavin. I understand that you still aren't comfortable with androids, and you didn't have to offer what you did if it makes you uncomfortable." Reed shrugged, taking another drag from his cig, mindlessly turning his head to the side before blowing the smoke out. "Don't make a big deal about it, dipshit. I made an offer, you took it; what's done is done." Though, despite the hostility in the tone of his words, there was no anger behind them, and he couldn't even look at Connor when he said them.

Another four drags later, Gavin was flicking the spent cigarette onto the ground and crushed it out under his shoe, turning to open up the driver side door, and climbing inside. He quickly started up the car, hand on the volume for his radio, and quickly turned down the blasting music down to a level that shouldn't bother Connor's auditory receptors too badly.  _Wait, why the fuck do I care if he's in pain or not?_ The question didn't get answered as he drove them back to his home.

* * *

He lived in a higher income area of Detroit, only thanks to a certain someone in his life, and Connor looked a little surprised. "I didn't think you lived in this district." "Yeah, well, it was up for grabs at a good price years ago and I took it." It was a single story house, but it was fucking huge. Managing to be just a few square feet short of a condo, Gavin's home had also been custom built by the one who had bought it for him. It had everything he could ever want or need, and plenty of space around it should he wish to expand the house.

"How long have you lived here?" "About...16 years now, almost 17. I got it when I was twenty." Connor glanced over to Reed as he turned off his car, "That's quite young to be living on your own." The human shrugged, unbuckling his seatbelt and unlocked the doors. "I was just about done with my training in the police academy when I found it. Thought it would be a good investment." "Clearly." Connor commented as Reed got out of the car, following him out and towards his home. Unlocking the front door, Gavin was greeted to quiet, which was a little odd. Connor stepped inside and closed the front door, only managing three steps more before he felt something rub against his leg.

"Heh, oh there you are, Pumpkin." Gavin cooed as the cat moved to rub against Connor's other leg. Pumpkin was an american shorthair with an orange coat. Connor glanced to Gavin with a brow cocked, unsure of what he should do. "You can pick her up and pet her, she doesn't bite." Gavin informed him as he toed off his shoes, pulling the hooded leather jacket he wore off as well before walking further inside calling, "I'm home!" As Connor knelt down to stroke Pumpkin's fur, he was surprised to see two other cats appear seemingly out of no where.

"Oof!" Gavin grunted a siamese cat jumped from the counter it was on into his chest, the man quickly wrapping his arms around the feline. "Did you miss me, Simon?" The cat meowed loudly in response, rubbing its head against Gavin's chin and jaw. Gavin smiled as he glanced down, a russian blue doing a figure 8 between his legs as it rubbed against them. "Hello Storm, I missed you too, sweety." He knelt down with Simon still in his arms and scratched behind one of Storm's ears, Connor easily hearing the loud purring coming from the animal.

"I didn't know you had cats, Reed." Connor spoke as he finally stood back up, Pumpkin prancing over to Gavin to rub against his legs as well. "Well I keep them pretty well groomed so the fur doesn't get everywhere." Gavin explained as he draped his jacket over the back of a chair in the kitchen, watching as the man pulled his badge off his left hip and his gun from behind his right hip and set them on the counter, all three cats following him. Connor watched as Gavin retrieved three different cans of wet cat food as well as three small dishes humans would normally put sauces in. He watched as Gavin grabbed a fork from his silverware and cracked open each can of food.

"No, you can't eat yet, Simon." Gavin lightly scolded as Simon jumped onto the counter not far from Reed, the man quickly scooping the cat up and setting it back down on the ground back his feet, Simon meowing in response to Gavin's actions. "In a minute, you greedy boy. Pumpkin and Storm get their food first, you know that." Gavin stated as he grabbed two of the three dishes and set them in front of a cabinet near the fridge, all three cats following him, but once again, he scooped Simon up into his arms. "There you go." Gavin placed Simon back on the counter top and Simon quickly went for the food, Gavin chuckling as he stroked the cat's fur.

Connor watched the man's evening routine with interest; since Hank only had Sumo, Connor had no idea how cat owners took care of their pets. Reed checked the water bowl, making sure it wasn't too low and groaned loudly when he saw a bit of bile in the bowl. Connor was confused when Gavin left the kitchen area, his eyes on the floor and slowly scanning it before he moved on. "Damn it..." He heard him curse when he checked the third room on the left side of the main hallway. "Do I have to get you the hairball stuff again, Pumpkin?" Gavin asked as he reached for a few paper towels, bending down to grab a spray bottle of some kind from under the sink, before going back to the room that he had found whatever it was he was originally looking for.

"Ugh, thank God I have wood flooring." Connor's nose crinkled up at the foul looking used towels, Gavin quickly tossing them into the trash under the sink, grabbing a couple more towels and going back into the same room. "What was that?" "A hairball; Pumpkin coughs them up when she grooms herself too much. Hasn't happened in a long while though, so I was hoping she calmed down with her grooming." Gavin spoke, pausing in whatever he was about to do next to look at Connor. Who was still standing near the front door. "...You can sit down, you know. I'm not gonna yell at you just because you sit down somewhere." "...Oh, um..." Connor looked a little flustered as he took one of the stools that were with the kitchen island, Reed noting that Connor's eyes landed on his cats again, softening as he looked at them with the same warmth Gavin doesn't doubt he has when he looks at his pets.

"...How did you get all of them?" Connor ask as Pumpkin and Storm finished their meals, some food leftover, but it seemed that Simon was happy to finish it off for them, quickly cleaning up their dishes, the cat's own dish picked clean. "Well Storm was my first, and I found her during the middle of a horrible thunderstorm about two years ago. She was just a kitten when I found her." Connor frowned deeply at the news. "How on earth did you even hear her?" Gavin paused in picking up the dishes as well as the water bowl, his eyes on the ground for a moment. "...I don't know, honestly. I was on the other side of the house when I heard a soft mewling. I didn't think, I just threw on a pair of shoes, my jacket, and went outside." Gavin remembers that night well.

"...The rain felt like hail, the wind threatening to knock me over with every blast, the thunder near deafening as lightning cracked down in sharp flashes. But I didn't care. I kept hearing that faint meowing and I kept following the sound of it, finding Storm as a kitten that was barely old enough to be away from her mother, clearly scared by everything that was going on. I remember right before I grabbed her, lightning struck the earth between us, and the second I had grabbed her and cradled her against my chest, right where she had been, another bolt of lightning struck the ground.

"I got us back inside, dried her off and got her wrapped up in one of my shirts." "Did you get her anything to eat?" Connor asked and Gavin nodded his head, now busing himself by cleaning the water bowl. "I could tell she was old enough that she could eat solid food and tried to feed her some wet food I had, but I got worried when she refused to eat. So, I did the only other thing I could think of and bottle fed her." "You knew how to do that?" Connor asked, surprised by that. Gavin nodded. "I've fostered cats and kittens before, and I still had some leftover formula as well as the bottle from the last kitten I had taken care of, so I whipped up a bottle and got her to eat that at least. Once the storm has passed, I took her to the vet to get checked out and decided that mother nature wanted me to take care of her, so I kept her."

"What about the others?" "Well, Simon belonged originally to one of my friends; he couldn't get Simon to behave by himself, and he only seemed to like me, so he handed him over to me. Pumpkin I adopted because of her health issues; she had pretty delicate health due to years of abuse and neglect by her original owner, but her vet was extremely surprised when her health had greatly improved after living with me for four months." "Really?" "Oh, yeah. That appointment was actually set up the day I had adopted Pumpkin simply because she would normally have a health hiccup every four months or so." "Were...they thinking of putting her down?" Pumpkin gave a sad mewl at Connor's question, jumping into the android's lap, and curling up there.

"...They had. If her health continued to decline like it was while she was in the shelter, than they would have no choice but to. She would have been living in a cage, in a lot of discomfort and pain; no animal should live like that." Gavin had just finished cleaning the food dishes by this point, drying his hands off with a towel before refilling the cats water bowl and setting it back down. "You want something to eat?" Gavin suddenly asked after a long moment, Storm jumping onto the counter before climbing onto Gavin's shoulders, lounging on them happily if the purring was anything to judge.

"Huh?" "Food. You want something to eat?" He repeated, heading to his fridge to see what the hell he even had to offer. "Are you sure?" "You're my guest! Of course, I don't mind; 'sides, Hank must feed you something to help you feel more human." "Um... Well, I'm fine with anything, really." "Not picky, huh? Well, I guess that works since all I have that's a quick prep right now is cold pizza." Reed pulled the box out from his fridge and couldn't help the laugh that came from him when Connor frowned, his brow pinched together in a mock disgust.

"Ha! 'Fine with anything' he says." "No, it's fine, I just..." "I ordered it last night. It's not that old." Gavin stated and that seemed to ease whatever worry Connor had. The android nodded his head and Gavin quickly grabbed two plates from the cupboards, setting two pieces of classic pepperoni and olives pizza onto each plate, popping one of them in the microwave as he shoved the box back into his fridge. "Anything to drink?" "Water will be just fine." Gavin glanced back to him with both a hip and brow cocked. "Have you ever had a beer, or any kind of alcohol?" "Well, no, but Hank insists that I don't."

Gavin pulled out two beers, cracking both open and offered one to Connor. "Well Hank's not here, is he? Besides, you should experience a hangover at least once so you have a better understanding of how Hank usually feels in the morning after he goes on a binge." Connor hesitated, but took the offered drink into his hand, Reed taking a swig of his own beer as the microwave beeped at him, switching out plates. "Here, it's a little hot so be careful." Gavin spoke as he moved passed Connor and set the plate down on the dining table behind him. Connor glanced at him, once more confused.

"I like to watch TV when I eat, and I can't exactly do that from the island." Gavin stated, sounding annoyed, but not showing any signs of it. "And you should hurry over before Simon starts to eat it. Little devil has a knack for stealing food." Connor nodded, unsure of how he was going to carry Pumpkin over to the table with him when she leapt out of his lap, moving somewhere else in Gavin's home. Now free to move how he wished, Connor made it to the table right as Simon jumped on it, the feline sniffing the warm pizza. "No, Simon. Not for you!" Gavin scolded lightly as he walked over and scooped the cat off the table, moving into an area Connor guessed was the living room, and set him down on the large sectional couch.

Simon meowed at Gavin, who sighed but still stroked the cat's head, Connor watching as the ears flicked back as Gavin's hand got close to them. "I know it smells yummy, but I just fed you guys. Besides, remember what happened last time I let you have human food?" Simon hissed and growled at Gavin then. "Yeah, that sucked, huh?! We're not having a repeat of that." Gavin told the siamese as he scratched under his chin, the animal purring happily and deciding to settle down on the couch. The microwave had already gone off at that point and was beeping again. "Yeah, yeah I heard ya." Gavin grumbled as he opened the door and fetched his food, joining Connor at the table.

He grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on, a comedy show flashing to life. Gavin quickly changed it to a football game, grumbling something under his breath before he took a swig of his beer and a bite of his pizza. Connor took a bite of his food as well, enjoying the flavors of the food, ignoring his protocol to analyze what he was consuming. Gavin glanced to Connor out of the corner of his eye, feeling as Storm leapt off his shoulders, and watched as he took the beer he had offered him into his hand and knock a swallow of it back.

Connor's face near instantly screwed up at the taste, managing to force it down, a very disgusted look on his face. "Ahaha!" Gavin broke out, quickly clapping a hand over his mouth, but his shoulders still bounced with silent laughter and the amusement was clear on his features. "I-I, eheheh, I'm sorry, Connor. I didn't mean to laugh, but I certainly didn't expect your reaction to your first beer to be like that! Holy shit..!" Gavin giggled a few more times, not realizing that Connor was smiling until his laughter started to fade. "...What?"

"Nothing. I just never heard you laugh so freely before." Gavin prayed that he was just suddenly drunk and that was the reason why he felt heat suddenly wash over his cheeks. The duo continued to eat and drink in silence, the game the only thing that broke it.

* * *

It was about 8 at night, Gavin on his third beer, Connor his second. The duo had moved from the dining area into the living room, Gavin getting Simon to chase a laser pointer around the room in hopes to wear him out. Storm was on the other end of the sectional, while Pumpkin was in one of the little hovels in the large cat tree house he had in the living room. He has one of them in each of the larger rooms of his home, cat toys scattered about the entirety of his home; he kept the catnip and treats in his room, however, since he likes to spoil his sweeties from time to time.

He and Connor were sitting right next to each other, legs nearly brushing against each other, Connor's cheeks a bright pink while Gavin barely had a flush on his face. "H-How come you aren't as affected by the drinks, and you've had more than me?" Connor asked, his head lolling to face Gavin as he leaned back against the couch, Simon softly panting and officially out of energy. "I've been drinking for longer than you. I know my limits; you're a light-weight who's gonna have a nice hangover if you don't drink some water before you go to sleep tonight."

Gavin stated, turning to face Connor, only to freeze when his nose gently brushed over the android's, the man suddenly in Gavin's face and personal space. "...You have really pretty eyes, Gavin." "R-Really?" Connor hummed, leaning a little closer, but Reed just leaned back, not giving the other man a chance to do something he might regret in the morning. "They're green, but there's also some grey in them and it's really pretty and makes all the earthy tones you wear compliment them really well." "Um, thank you. You feeling okay, tin can?" Gavin asked, reaching a hand up and placing it on Connor's forehead, both checking his temperature as well as keeping him firmly where he was.

 _Damn, he's running a little warm._ Which meant his internal components were defiantly giving him the sensation of being drunk, but this certainly wasn't the reaction Gavin was thinking would happen. In a flash, Gavin was suddenly on his back, legs spread and cradling Connor's body between them, the deviant nuzzling his face into Gavin's throat, the human feeling the smile he pressed into his skin. "You're so beautiful, Gav." The nickname caused Reed's heart to skip a beat, his hands on Connor's shoulders, and he should be shoving him away, but...

"So pretty, and sweet, and handsome. I love when you smile and laugh like you do here." "J-Jace, I-I..." Connor moved up then, his hands on either side of Gavin's head, the man's hands still on his shoulders, and asked, "Jace? Who's that?" Gavin's throat tightened as his eyes went wide. With a strength he didn't realize he had in that moment, Gavin shoved Connor off of him, scrambling into the corner of the sectional, his forearm over his mouth, eyes on the floor, and he was shaking a little bit. Alarms instantly went off in Connor's head despite the level of intoxication he was experiencing, and reached out to the detective. "Reed? What's wrong?"

Gavin didn't respond. Instead he rushed off the couch, quickly grabbing a spare pillow and blanket from out of a hallway closet and tossed them at Connor. "Good night!" He yelled, his bedroom door slamming shut, and Connor heard as he locked the door as well.

Gavin quickly rushed into the bathroom he had in his room and shut the door, though softer than he did his bedroom door, and slid down the wood. He felt as tears filled his eyes, his head in his hands as his curled in on himself. "Damn it... Fuck, fuck, damn it..!"  _Jace..._


	3. Accident And Apology

Gavin groaned as his phone's alarm went off, lifting his arm up to grab the blasted thing and turn it off.  _7:45 am_. "God-fucking-damn-piece-of..." He cut himself off as he rolled onto his back and shoved himself into a sitting position. He and Connor thankfully got a later shift today, having to be in at 9:30 instead of 8 in the goddamn morning. Which was hopefully enough time to quell whatever symptoms of a hangover he has this morning. Climbing out of bed, he dipped into his bathroom, flicked on the lights and grunted in discomfort as the artificial light hit his eyes.

 _Painkillers...painkillers... Ah, here we go._ It was a low dose ibuprofen, but it would get the job done. Knocking two back, Gavin went about his usual morning routine, maintaining his 5 o'clock shadow before jumping into the shower to help wake up. It was right after he got himself dressed in a fresh pair of boxer-briefs and black long sleeved shirt that he noticed his bedroom door was not only shut, but locked.  _The hell?_ Why did he lock his door? Shutting it, he could understand if his cats were being too crazy before he went to bed, but locking it? That was odd, even for him.

Choosing to not think any further on it, Gavin unlocked and opened his door, greeted by a happy mewl from Storm as she rubbed again his bare leg. "Mornin' sweety." He moved into the room across from his bedroom where he kept the litter box and scooped it clean, checking the level of it before moving into the living room to turn on the TV while he made himself breakfast.

Only to find Connor asleep on his couch. And then he remembered  ** _exactly_** what happened last night, and the entire reason he had locked his door in the first place.  _Ah, shit..._

Gavin padded over to the surprisingly still sleeping android, and set his hand on his shoulder. It seemed that Connor only took off his shoes and tie before he went to sleep last night. "Connor? Time to get up." Gavin hushed as he gently shook the deviant awake, hearing as Connor groaned when he woke up. "What time is it?" "A couple minutes past 8. How ya feelin'?" Connor grunted as he rolled onto his back, opening his eyes up but clearly regretting that decision as he threw his arm back over them. "Like my head was ran over with a semi-truck."

"Think you'd be able to hold down breakfast?" "I can try." Gavin hummed softly, rubbing Connor's shoulder as he stepped away from the deviant, getting greeted with a chorus of meowing from his cats. "Hush, guys. I'll feed you in a minute." Gavin spoke, grabbing three food bowls from one of the cabinets and opening up the large bag of dry cat food that was next to them, giving each of them a scoop, and setting the bowls in their usual spots expect for Simon's; his was placed next to the very much unused dishwasher, since that was the furthest he could get him to be without being near human food.

Gavin opened up the fridge and grabbed four eggs, making a mental note that he needed to go food shopping sometime tonight or tomorrow, before shutting the fridge and reaching up to grab the container of coffee grounds from the top. He dumped the used grounds into the trash and placed a fresh filter in, making sure he used enough grounds for three or four cups before starting the brewer up. As he waited for that to do its thing, Gavin grabbed a frying pan and a small bowl, as well as a fork, and turned his stove top on, letting the pan heat up. Cracking two of the four eggs, he used the fork as a kind of whisk, scrambling the eggs together.

He grabbed a piece of butter from the stick he has by his toaster and flicked it onto the pan, satisfied by the instant hissing sound that comes as the butter melts. He used it to coat the pan before pouring the first batch of scrambled eggs into it. Grabbing a plastic spatula from the holder he had on the counter top, Gavin broke the large plane of cooking eggs into more manageable pieces, grabbing two pieces of bread from the breadbox and popping them into the toaster to cook. Reaching up with a smile on his lips as he felt Pumpkin nudge her head against his leg, Gavin pulled down two plates as quietly as he could; he knows how he felt the very first time he woke up with a hangover, and he images Connor's not having that much fun with it either.

 _Wait, why do I care? He's an android. Why should it bother me if I cause him pain?_ But it does, which bugged him even more. He still hasn't figured out what his and Connor's relationship really is. Are they just okay being around each other now? Are they decent co-workers? Are they friends? There was a forth thought that popped up, but Gavin squished it quickly. "...Oof! ...Heh, good morning Storm." He distantly heard Connor grunt, and Gavin was a little surprised. He knew his cats well, and Storm wasn't one to be too friendly with strangers. "...It seems she likes you."

Connor shifted a little, having to squint so the sunlight didn't hurt his eyes that badly, and raised a brow at Gavin, seeing into the open kitchen that he was cooking something, but having chose to lower his receptors when he woke up with this disaster of a hangover, he couldn't tell what it was. What he could tell was that Gavin seemed stunned by Storm's friendliness. "Is that normal?" Gavin shook his head. "No, she's not a big fan of strangers; Simon isn't either. It normally takes up to a week for Storm to like people I have over, and Simon takes two weeks. And I'm not taking about you staying here for a night, coming back a week later, and having Storm like you. I mean seeing you a full seven times, seven different times, before she likes you."

Gavin explains as he plated whatever it was he had been cooking, pouring another batch of it into the pan. The toaster popped up then, Gavin placing both pieces onto the empty plate to cut them in half, buttering all of the piece before setting two pieces onto the one with already plated eggs. He waited until the second batch was done before he turned off the stove and plated them, moving from the kitchen to the dining room and setting both plates down. Connor managed to shove himself into a sitting position, the world violently tilting for a moment before steadying himself.

"Easy, buddy." Reed spoke up as he got close to Connor, knelling down so they were at eye level with each other. "Let me see ya for a second here..." Gavin muttered as he cupped one of Connor's cheeks, gently pulling the bottom part of his eye down a little to fully see his eye. "...A little bloodshot and still a bit dilated, but that should start to clear up soon." He stood then, threading a hand through Connor's hair. "Let me grab something to help with that. In the meantime, food's on the table and the coffee's almost done; do you drink yours like Hank's or differently?" "Two sugars, no creamer." "Got it. Come on, up we go." Gavin hushed as he wrapped his arms under Connor's and helped the man to his feet, holding him steady for a moment before stepping back. Connor lightly nodded his head and slowly shuffled his way over to the dining room.

Gavin ducked back into his own room and grabbed two more painkillers for Connor. He doesn't know exactly how  _well_ they'll work for an android, but he does know that they  _will_ work for an android. Gavin chuckled to himself when he spotted Connor at the table, groggily scooping up a forkful of scrambled eggs. "Here. Take this with them." Connor glanced over to the human and took the two pills he offered, not even questioning him as he shoved them into his chewed up eggs, swallowing them down. The raven haired male happily took the mug of coffee offered to him as Gavin came back to the table, hearing as the TV was turned back on, but thankfully at a lower volume.

The news thankfully didn't hold any big or breaking stories, so there shouldn't be too much work for them when they get to the station. Weather looked nice for a change; actually sunny for most of the day instead of the overcast that's been threatening to break into rainfall for the last four days. Pumpkin's loud meow dragged both men out of their thoughts, the orange colored cat sitting between both of them, her tail thumping almost eagerly against the table. "No bacon today, Pumpkin. Sorry." She did the closest thing to a pout Gavin's ever seen her do, laying down on the table anyway.

"You give her bacon?" "Bacon, ham, chicken, pork, beef; it's the only human food I ever actually feed them." "What was it that Simon managed to get?" "A part of a french fry and a chunk of tomato from the burger I had been eating. Let's just say Pumpkin's hairballs looked pleasant next to whatever the hell it was he hurled up." Simon growled at Gavin and the man scoffed. "Well who's fault was it, Simon? I told you that you wouldn't like that stuff! And look what happened!" He hissed one more time before jumping onto the table and then onto Gavin's shoulders, rubbing his head against his cheek.

"Geez, you're such a diva." Simon purred at those words, and started to do something that greatly confused Connor; he started to lick Gavin's face. "...Hank tells me not to do that..." Gavin glanced at Connor with a brow raised. "I don't think any of us on the force are used to how you analyze certain types of evidence. Besides, he's not checking me for anything." "He's not?" Gavin chuckled. "No, he's grooming me. Cats, while mostly independent animals, are still social creatures. They groom or rub against each other as a sign of affection." "Oh... But if I just started to lick Hank or Sumo, humans would just stare at me, right?"

"Right. That's a very strange thing to do, and it's not exactly sociably acceptable." Connor pouted with those famous puppy dog eyes of his and...  _Fuck. Fuck fucking fuck!_ Is there anything that Connor can't make cute? They finished breakfast in mostly silence, interrupted by either the news or one of the cats purring or meowing at them. Connor was with Gavin in the kitchen, watching as the man cleaned all of the dirty dishes and silverware. "...Who's Jace?" "Drop it, Connor." Gavin snapped back, not looking at Connor. "Last night, you called me 'Jace'. Who is Jace, Gavin?"

"We were drunk and a name from my past left my lips. Leave it at that, Connor." Gavin warned, that tightness in his chest the topic caused making him uncomfortable and he prayed Connor's social skills had improved enough to notice that.

But it seems not.

"Gavin, you know that I can just search for this 'Jace' and figure out who they are and what happened, correct?" "DON'T YOU PHCKING DO IT, YOU PLASTIC BASTARD!" Gavin screamed as he dropped the plate he was cleaning, his hand clamping down hard on Connor's throat. It was the pain and anguish Connor saw in Gavin's eyes, not the anger in them, made him instantly regret his words. He raised both of his hands up in surrender. "Alright. I won't." "Promise me you won't!"

Desperation.

Gavin was desperate to keep this 'Jace' and the pain that it caused him secret.

"I promise you, Gavin Reed, that I, Connor Anderson, will not look into this any further." Gavin's bristled stance slowly relaxed and his hand loosened and slid off Connor's throat. "...Thank you." Connor nodded his head, his eyes on his feet, unsure of what to do and feeling really awkward right now. "...I don't have a spare uniform for you, but you're free to use the guest shower if you'd like." Connor nodded his head. "And it's..?" "Fourth door on the left, main hallway." Gavin pointed, not taking his eyes off the plate he was cleaning.

* * *

Gavin was muttering some rather colorful phrases under his breath as he glanced over the pile of paperwork he got saddled with when he clocked in for work this morning. The drive with Connor was so tense you could drown in it, but he chose to ignore it. Thankfully, Gavin was a hard worker (despite the amount of breaks he takes), and was about halfway finished with his workload when his phone buzzed on the table. "Damn, lunch already?" He glanced around the bullpen and spotted Connor.

He was also focused on his work, but Reed was a little worried. His LED had been yellow ever since they arrived at the station, blinking patterns Gavin didn't know from time to time. It was currently blinking out some kind of mores code message when Connor had noticed that someone was looking at him and locked his eyes instantly with Gavin's.

And then the LED turned red.

Gavin knew that was  ** _never_** a good thing. "Hey, glorified toaster!" Reed called from across the room, Connor's eyes not leaving his as he nodded his head. "Get me a coffee!" A few other officers in the room glared at him, but he didn't care. He watched as Connor stood up and moved into the break area, and saw that his body language was tense. He was on edge about something, Reed just didn't know what.  _Maybe what happened this morning?_ It was possible.

Connor was at his side in a few moments and Reed took a chance. "...Come with me. There's something I need to review with you in private." Gavin spoke as he got out of his chair, setting the coffee Connor had made him onto his desk, and lead them up towards the roof of the building. Opening up the door, the duo was greeted to a pleasant few of the Detroit skyline, but there was another reason Gavin brought Connor here. "No one really knows how to get up to the roof; just Hank, myself, and now you. We can talk freely here."

Gavin crossed his arms and leveled a look at Hank's partner. "What's been bugging you, Connor?" "Nothing's 'bugging' me, Detective." "Oh, bull-fucking-shit, tin can!" The brunette bit out, taking a step into Connor's personal space. "I've been watching your LED! It's been yellow for most of the day, and then the second you lock eyes with me it turned red; and by the way, it's still red!" Gavin stated, two of his fingers tapping against Connor's LED. "What's going on?" "Why are you so concerned with my well being, Detective Reed?"

"'Cause you aren't an android anymore!" Gavin shouted and both men froze. "...You're a deviant now; you're the closest thing to human that you'll ever be, and I give a damn about humans, not mindless machines meant to follow a human's orders." "Even though I obeyed yours when we first met outside of the interrogation room?" Gavin glanced to his shoes then. "You really are a contradiction, Gavin." "I..." He started, grabbing Connor's attention, "I hated androids, it's true. I felt...threatened by you, at first. An android cop? You guys were gonna replace humans in law enforcement, which was my job; my  _life_. I didn't want that to happen, but..."

Gavin glanced up to Connor then. "But seeing  _everything_ that happened during the revolution, seeing what you did with Hank in the Cyberlife tower... It...changed my opinion on deviants." "To what?" "...You're alive. You feel emotions like us humans, and just like humans you have no real idea on what to do with everything you were feeling and lashed out; I imagine if a few small details had been different, though, that Markus's revolution wouldn't have been a peaceful one." Connor took a step forward, and now both men were in each other's personal space.

"I..." Connor started, getting Reed's attention, "I was talking with Hank. Even though I can't be there, it doesn't mean that I can't communicate with him on his phone via texting." "You were talking to Hank? About what?" "...Gavin, I'm sorry for what happened last night, and this morning." What? "I was pushing a topic you clearly weren't comfortable talking about, and you reacted in a way that you thought was right." Connor locked his eyes with Gavin's. "Can you forgive me?" "Connor..." Gavin didn't say another word, just yanked Connor into his arms and held him close.

"...Thank you, Gavin." "Yeah, whatever." Connor smiled anyway, returning the embrace. They stayed like that for a good few minutes, pulling apart with the tension that had grew between them completely gone.


	4. Secrets

The rest of the day flew by quickly, Connor finishing his workload two hours earlier than usual (probably cause he doesn't have to constantly reign Hank in to do his work), and joined Gavin at his desk, going over the evidence for a case Connor and Hank were working on, as well as helping Reed out with his unusually hefty workload. "So she wouldn't have been the one to have stabbed him, then?" Gavin questioned, Connor nodding his head. "It would seem so; the stab wounds were mostly on the left side, which would indicate someone who's right handed to have been the one to stab him, and she's left handed."

"You think she might be ambidextrous?" Connor leaned against Gavin's desk, a hand curling over his chin in thought. "...It's possible, but someone who's ambidextrous would still use their naturally dominate hand in a moment of panic or intense emotion." "Ah, true." Well, it seemed that case was as good as closed. They both glanced to Gavin's phone when it buzzed on the table, the alarm for them to leave for the day going off. "Geez, is it really 5 pm already?" "It would seem so." Gavin sighed heavily, downing the last of his cold cup of coffee, and gathered his things.

"You've got everything?" "Yes. Shall we?" Reed shook his head, but lead them back to his car. "...You're not gonna smoke before we leave?" Connor asked as Reed climbed into his car, following a moment later. "No, I need to get groceries." "I could come with you, Detective." Gavin barked a laugh. "Thanks, but I don't need Hank's puppy following me around a store where everyone can stare at us. 'Sides, since Storm already likes you, it'd be best for you to keep her company while I'm away." Gavin stated as he shifted the car into reverse and backed out of the parking spot, sticking it into drive and headed home.

Connor raised a brow when Gavin got out of the car with him, unlocking the front door and swiftly making his way inside. Connor could hear the meowing from the doorway. "I know guys, but I have to duck back out in a minute." Gavin said, already in the kitchen with a pen and notepad on the counter, using his foot to hold the fridge door open as he took stalk of what he had in it. "Hello, Pumpkin." Connor greeted as he scooped up the orange feline into his arms, cradling her against his chest and feeling her purr. "Oh, who's a pretty kitty?" Connor heard Gavin sing softly, and glanced up to see that Simon was on the counter again, his head bumping against Gavin's face.

Reed glanced over his shoulder when the sound of Connor's lovely little giggle hit his ears. "What?" "I didn't think you could be cute, Gavin." He blushed, but didn't say anything in response, instead knelling down to check how much dry and wet food he had for his feline family members. "...Looks like it's gonna be dry food for them tonight; don't have enough wet right now and I doubt they'll have the brand I need." "'The brand you need'?" Connor repeated, confused. "Remember how I said Pumpkin had fragile health when I first got her?" Connor nodded his head, petting the named cat that he held in his arms.

"Well, because of that I have to get her a very specific brand of wet food, or else she'll throw it up. None of them are picky when it comes to their food--wet or dry--but the kind I have to feed Pumpkin is made for cats with digestive issues." Meaning it's gentle on her stomach. "Do they have foods that help with hairballs?" "Not in wet food, no, but thanks for reminding me to pick up some of that. She throws up one hairball, she's bound to throw up more..." Gavin muttered that last part to himself, and had already turned away from Connor so he didn't see the little smile that spread the android's lips after Gavin had thanked him.

"Alright, that should be everything I need... Their dry food bowls are in here," Gavin smacked his hand against the second cabinet from the fridge, "as well as the dry food bag; one scoop in each bowl. Storm's and Pumpkin's bowls I usually have next to the fridge, while I put Simon's bowl either on the counter or by the dishwasher--greedy boy has a habit of pushing Storm and Pumpkin away from their meal before they're done." Gavin explained as he tore the list off the pad and shoved it into one of his back pockets on his jeans. "I should be back in about a half hour, feel free to make yourself something to eat after you feed the cats, but I'll be back with some fast food either way."

Gavin reached up, cupped Connor's left cheek, pulled him down a little, and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips. "See you in a bit." Reed was out the door and in his car in a few moments, backing out of the driveway and headed for the grocery store. He found an empty spot, parked, and then froze. His mind finally caught up with what happened in the front door of his house; he crossed his arms on the steering wheel, let his head thud against them, and muttered, "What the hell did I just do?"

* * *

Connor was stunned to say the least. He watched as Gavin left, a hand coming up to touch his lips, still able to feel Gavin's own set pressed against them in that brief moment. A sharp, loud chorus of meows yanked the deviant out of his thoughts and he grinned to Gavin's cats. "Alright. Just a moment." He opened up the cabinet that Gavin had gestured to and found three bowls, putting a single scoop of dry food into each one and setting them where Gavin normally would, having to gather Simon up into his hands and set him on the counter.

Since he was essentially alone in Gavin's home, Connor had time to explore and see what he could learn about the man. He knew where one of the side closets, the guest bathroom, and Gavin's room were, but given the size of the house, he knew there was more rooms to find.

The first one he found was practically a heaven for cats. It was filled with places for them to climb and explore, to scratch and chew, toys littered all over the floor. Connor also spotted a litter box and a small, plastic bucket next to it with the lid on and traces of a plastic bag inside it.  _He must clean that in the morning._ Connor, on his way out, saw the large container of fresh cat litter by the door. It was still pretty full so Gavin mustn't have needed to change the box yet.

Exploring down the first of three hallways that split off from the main one, Connor quickly found two doors. The first one he opened lead to an indoor swimming pool, similar to the one that Elijah Kamski had in his home. The second door revealed what appeared to be a gym; there was exercise equipment and machines scattered about, a rather beat-up punching bag dangling in the middle of a large section of padded mats. Connor spotted padded fingerless gloves of the same type most MMA and jujitsu fighters use.  _Explains his muscle build._

Gavin was a well built man; his muscles were defined enough to clearly be seen under the thick, long sleeve black shirts Reed prefers to wear. Actually, now that Connor thought about it, Gavin was ridiculously attractive. The man had brown hair that was wavy, but you'd only see that in the shorter parts of his hair, the parts he can't tame with water or gel. Olive skin tone that's likely from his italian heritage; those beautiful green-grey eyes. The patches of freckles he has on his face and neck, and most likely on his arms and shoulders too. His full lips that have a lovely natural pink hue to them, as well as a very pronounced cupid's bow, and Connor knows that his eyes are almost always drawn to Gavin's lips every time he sees him. His broad shoulders and rectangular body shape that falls right between what most humans consider to be most attractive and very attractive; his diamond face shape, as well as his high cheekbones and strong jawline. Add in his height of 5' 9" and weight of 176 lbs, and Gavin was a stupidly attractive man.

Which has Connor wondering why he doesn't have a significant other. Yes, he knows not everyone is actively looking for a life long partner in one form or another, but Gavin was set up pretty nicely both in his career and his personal life; so why doesn't he have someone who's special to him?

Deciding to leave that topic unanswered for now, Connor turned on his heel and decided to go down the second side hallway. Or, he thought it was a second side hallway; turns out it leads to a patio with a breathtaking view of Detroit. It had an outdoor hot tub, a large table with six padded chairs surrounding it, plants that thrive well on their own in corners of the patio, and what appeared to be a love seat at the best angle to enjoy the skyline. Heading back inside and down the last hallway, the first of three doors that Connor opened surprised him.

It was a library. With a two reading chairs and a coffee table set on a rug between them in front of a large fireplace, the atmosphere in the room itself was calming. Taking a step towards one of the many bookcases that were about three inches taller than Connor, he found that Gavin enjoyed a wide verity of books; fiction, non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, erotica. The erotica pieces captured Connor's attention, and he scanned a few titles.  _Homosexual erotica._ So, Gavin wasn't interested in having a female partner; he preferred the sexual company of men.

The second door he opened was, much to his surprise another bathroom, though, it seemed like it hasn't been used in a very long time. Heading to the last door, Connor was puzzled when he found it locked. He tried the knob again, and yeah, it was locked.  _I could break the door open._ It didn't have an electronic lock on it; it was an old fashion lock and key doorknob like the ones humans have on their front doors. The more he looked at the locked door in front of him, the more Connor admitted to being curious.  _Well, kicking opening the door is a no go; Gavin will notice it sooner or later and he'll wonder if I was snooping around or if his house got broken into. Maybe I could pick the lock?_ As he considered his options, his thoughts were jostled out of his head when a loud, angry growl and hiss came from the end of the hallway.

Turning, he saw Storm sitting, her eyes narrowed at him, her tail puffed up in anger as she growled again. She was warning him to not go in that room. "...Alright." Connor gave in and turned away, seeing as Storm relaxed a little and meowed a little more happily as he bent down to scratch her head. Connor, after a multitude of cases and living with Hank for two months, has learned to trust an animal's reaction to someone or something; if they didn't like it, there was a good reason why they didn't. So, he went back into the main area he and Gavin tended to be, deciding to look in Gavin's room and see what it was like.

It was nice, despite the dark color tone. A queen sized bed was smack in the middle, a little side closet not too far from the door, his dresser in the middle of the wall across from his bed, a large TV on top of it; there was a nightstand with three drawers and a lamp on top, and another door in the room. Opening it up and turning on the light, Connor saw that it another bathroom, but unlike the other two, this one only had a shower stall, and not the tub/shower combination that most homes had. Turning on his heel, the setting sun now visible from the decent sized window in the room, the blackout curtains pulled to the side, Connor checked the time and realized that Gavin was late.

It was nearly ten minutes passed when he said he'd be back home.  _Where is he?_

* * *

 _What fucking excuse am I gonna come up with when I get home?_ Gavin had taken a little more time than he had planned to get his groceries. Yeah, he had meant to be just a couple minutes late and say that traffic was a little packed on the way back, but now? What could be the reason that he was late getting home now?

 _Oh, I know, how about the fact that you kissed Connor right on the lips before you came here, and are now too embarrassed to actually face him?_ God, he wishes it was just a lie, but it wasn't. He was. He was embarrassed that he had accidentally kissed Connor before he left; hell, he had been barely paying attention and probably would have kissed anyone who had been standing where Connor was at the time... Which now that he thinks about it makes him chuckle a little cause now he can't get over the most likely shocked expression Hank would have if it was him he kissed.

Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his lighter and a smoke and lit it up, inhaling slow and deep as he thought about what he was gonna say when he got back home. Of course, when he thinks about the incident now, there's someone who now replaces Connor in that moment; someone who makes his heart ache and lungs tighten in his chest. He doesn't dare think their name, too afraid to have a breakdown in the middle of the fucking parking lot. It was a moment that he shared with... **him** a lot back then, when... **he** would be home from work early or had a day off.

It was a moment Gavin left his home with, and a moment that welcomed him back.

 _...Is it really because Connor looks so much like **him**? Is that why I find myself drawn to him? Stealing glances from across the room like a schoolgirl?_ He didn't know what hurt worse right now: the thought of  **him** , or the reason why he finds himself drawn to Connor? "...I should get home. Connor might be getting worried." From what Connor told him last night and what he's overheard at work, keeping Connor from stressing out about being gone for too long is something that is a priority.

* * *

Connor sat on the edge of Gavin's unmade bed, smiling at how much it reminded him of Hank's bad habits. It seemed that the two most accomplished men Connor knows in the force have difficulties keeping their bed and homes neat. Well...at least it's just the bed for Gavin. Mindlessly, Connor takes a deep breath and his olfactory receptors are hit with the pure scent of Gavin. It's a combination of leather, coffee, sweat, and something almost floral and light in nature, like vanilla or honey. He felt his cheeks heating up as he thought about just how nice Gavin smelled, drinking in another lungful almost greedily.

His eyes fluttered open--when did he close them?--and they landed on a picture he hadn't noticed on the nightstand when he first entered the room. He picked it up to examine it.

It was of Gavin and someone else, male judging from the length of their shoulders. They were holding each other in an intimate embrace, the one face Connor could see was Gavin's as he clearly was kissing the other man in the picture, his eyes closed and joy visible on his features. What Connor quickly noticed about the man Gavin was kissing was that he seemed...a little like Connor. He obviously couldn't see the man's face, just the back of his head, but what he could tell was that the man was a solid 6', a little more built than Gavin, had pale skin, and jet black hair.

Connor knew that he could simply analyze the picture and figure out who else was in the photo with Gavin, but seeing the intimacy of that moment in Gavin's life that had been preserved forever, along with the fact that it was on his nightstand, Connor knew better. He remembers the tiny bit of anger Hank had when Connor had told Anderson after they moved in together that he had analyzed Cole's photo, and that's how he knew it was Hank's son. Images like that and the one Connor had in his hands, the ones humans kept close, or turned away or face down, were the ones that meant the most, but also hurt the most emotionally for them.

Hearing as a car pulled up in the drive-way, Connor set the photo back down and walked into the main area, quickly opening up the door for Gavin when he heard him curse and fumble for his keys on the other side. "Oh. Thanks, Con." He spoke, quickly stepping inside and setting the bags down on the kitchen counter. "Con?" Reed blushed, a little bit of pink tickling the top of his ears. "W-Well, you called me Gav last night; I only thought it fair to give you a nickname too." He firmly said, hoping that his face didn't get any hotter.

"Did you eat yet?" Connor shook his head, and nearly dropped the bag that was suddenly tossed his way. "Double cheese burger and a medium fry." Connor opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Gavin raised his hand, "I know it's not the healthiest thing to be eating so late at night, but I didn't feel like cooking when I got home." "Why did you get home late?" Gavin paused in putting the gallon of milk into its place in the fridge door, letting his head drop a moment later with a loud exhale. "I... UGH! Okay, I'll say it plain since I can't think of an excuse: I was embarrassed by what I did when I realized what happened when I left and I didn't want to face you so soon again."

Gavin braced himself for the backlash, for some kind of upset remark or snide comment. What he got instead was Connor's hand over his own on the gallon of milk and a soft kiss being pressed against his forehead. Like the android thought, Gavin's grip on the milk loosened and he quickly grabbed it, not wanting both it and the money Gavin spent on it to go to waste. "Don't worry, Detective. Hank mindlessly kisses me on the cheek nearly every time he steps out to go food shopping himself. I'm used to it; though, I admit being kissed on the lips is new."

Gavin glanced away and moved into the dining room, petting Pumpkin without really thinking about it. "I...used to live with someone for a long while; we were...good friends and comfortable around each other enough that things like that just...happened." "Did they know about your sexual orientation?" Gavin sputtered at that, Pumpkin glancing up at him with a confused mewl, her paw reaching up and resting against his hand that had lifted off her fur. Reed looked down at his cat and offered her a quick grin, rubbing behind her ear and enjoying the feeling of her purring against his fingers.

"...Y-Yes, they knew, and they were fine with it. But, how did you know that I'm...gay?" He said the word so softly that a human wouldn't have even heard it. But Connor is no human. "I...took a few minutes to look around your house, see what other rooms you had, and I found the library." Gavin hummed, unable to look at Connor. "It's a very nice collection, Reed." "...Was it the romance or the...other books that tipped you off?" By 'other books' he must mean the erotica ones. "The other books. Though, they're written by well liked authors, and I have no doubt that they are a delight to read."

"'A delight to read'. Jesus, Connor, you've spent  _way_ too much time with Markus and Simon." Jericho, or at least the androids who had founded the abandoned ship of the same name as a deviant safe haven, have been very involved with the laws and regulations that are being created for deviants, and have passed many concerns from their people to the correct departments to handle them, including the police department. One can usually know if a founder of Jericho is at the station because Connor will be talking to them.

Gavin's only talked to Markus, Simon, and North, and while he's not too fond of how hostile North is towards humans (though he can understand where her hostility is coming from), he enjoys talking with both Markus and Simon. Especially Simon, since the two of them were attracted to someone they saw as a leader; only Simon and Markus are in a relationship now--North and Markus peacefully broke up when North first met Chloe when Kamski sent her to help out how ever he could via her--and Gavin and Hank are department rivals.

What? Could you blame Gavin? Back in his prime, Hank had such a powerful and commanding presents, it's a wonder Gavin didn't cause a department scandal trying to get Hank to fuck him.  _...Actually, now that I think on it, Hank still is pretty attractive._ Gavin  **really** needed to figure out who he has a boner for, and soon. A soft giggling caught Gavin's attention, glancing at Connor to see a teasing smile on his lips. "Oh, what's so funny?" "Are you recalling one of the many pleasant scenes from one of those books?" "W-What?! N- _No!_ " Connor giggled again.

"Oh, so there's another reason why your dopamine levels have risen?" Gavin's face went hot, the man flustered and unsure how to respond. "W-Well, if there is, I'm not telling you!" Connor, who Reed just realized had finished putting away his groceries, leaned back against the counter, his arms crossed and a hip cocked as he teased, "Oh yes, because an android wouldn't understand the enrapture a human would about thinking pleasurable thoughts." Reed's hands curled at his sides, his body tensing like a spring, and he was about to lunge at Connor when the man snorted a laugh before doubling over as he cackled gleefully.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't tease you like that. It was a mean thing to do." Connor apologized, but it seemed Gavin was gonna have some retaliation of his own as he was suddenly crowding all of Connor's field of view before his lips were once again pressed against his own, this time harder in demand.

And something extremely pleasurable jolted in the pit of Connor's stomach. Something that had him chasing after Gavin's lips again as he pulled away; something that created a tension between them, unnamed and both unsure if it was honestly wanted. "L-Let's have dinner. There's a, um, dog show on tonight, if you wanna watch that?" Gavin offered, but Connor shook his head. "Watch whatever you wish, Gavin. It's your home, I shouldn't have any hold over your normal life choices."


	5. On The Case

"WHAT?!" "You heard me, Reed! You and Connor are assigned to the murder that was just reported." "Why both of us, though?! Why not just myself, or Connor? You know that we're both capable of handling the case ourselves." Fowler pinched the bridge of his nose. "Or, better yet, why don't you wait until Hank gets back, and drop this into his lap?" "I can't, Gavin!" Jeffrey barked, getting both men in his office to still. "...Why not, Captain? Lieutenant Anderson will be back from the meeting in four days; I can go to the scene, gather what evidence is there, and then review it with the Lieutenant upon his return."

"The meeting got extended; Hank won't be back until Thursday next week, and Markus was the one who brought this to me. I need someone on this case today, and you two are the only ones available to do it! I understand that you and Connor haven't always seen eye to eye, Gavin, but you can at least work with him on this." Gavin glanced to Connor out of the corner of his eye when he saw his shoulders sink a little. "...Excuse me, Captain." Connor hushed as he left the room, Reed spotting that his LED was flickering between yellow and red.  _Oh, really not good._ "...Send the details to my terminal; I'll talk to him." Fowler's shocked expression was extremely hard to not smirk at, but Gavin managed, quickly heading out of the man's office and towards Hank's desk where Connor was.

"Come on, Con. Let's talk outside for a minute." Gavin hushed as he gently encircled his fingers around one of the taller man's wrists, tenderly guiding him up to the rooftop. Where, surprisingly, Markus and Simon were. "Connor?!" Simon nearly shouted, rushing over to cradle his kin by his shoulders, Markus equally as worried. "...Connor told you guys how to come up here, didn't he?" Gavin asked Markus, who only sighed and nodded. "I-I'm sorry, Gavin, I just--" "No, no, no! Hey, hey look at me." Gavin's voice quickly grew softer than Simon or Markus as ever heard as he was at Connor's side in moments, cradling his face in his hands.

"Sh, sh, sh. It's okay. I'm not bothered by them knowing. It's okay, Connor. Breathe." Gavin muttered and Connor inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering close as he just focused on Gavin's voice, the touch of his warm hands on his cheeks. _"_ _Is everything alright, Connor?"_ Markus asked as he interfaced with him, Connor unsure of how to respond. "...Are you stressed out because Hank's gonna be gone for longer?" Simon and Markus exchanged a look between each other at the human's words, worry settling over their features as Connor nodded his head.

"It'll be alright. It sometimes happens when something else comes up and it needs to be discussed with all of the precincts." "B-But..!" Connor was cut off as Gavin tugged him into a hug, making sure that his face was tucked into his neck. "Breathe, Con. Remember, Hank said that he'd contact you if something went wrong; there's no need to feel scared that something happened to him." Simon and Markus were a little stunned by Gavin's actions. From what Connor had told them about him, and from their own interactions with the 36 year old, this wasn't a normal thing for Reed to be doing.

However, none of them cared as Connor's LED, which had been a solid red, faded to yellow and soon after that light blue that meant he was calm. "There we go." Gavin hushed as he let Connor pull a little away from him, chuckling a little at the tear tracks on Connor's cheeks. "Oh, you big baby." Gavin teased as he wiped away the marks from the android's face, seeing and feeling as he smiled a little. "Sorry, guys. I...didn't mean to make you worry." "It's alright, tin can. You're still getting use to having the emotions that you do; given how close you and Hank are, it doesn't surprise me that you'd be scared for his well being, as well as getting stressed out about him being gone for longer than originally planned." "...How did you know that was what he was experiencing?" Simon asked and Reed moved his eyes to his shoes.

"...I was the same way when I was a kid; any time my mother had to leave the state or country for her job, I'd always get so worried about her safety. I was also so scared for her because I wasn't there to try and protect her." "...Were you not close to your father?" Markus asked, and none of the deviants he was with missed they way he flinched at the question. "...No. My...older brother was though." "You have a brother?" Connor asked, frowning when Gavin bit his lower lip and turned his back to the group. "We don't talk anymore, and I have no idea where he is." "I could always help you find him, Gavin. With everything that happened here in Detroit, he might be happy to hear from you."

"It's been over 13 years since we talked, and I was the one who broke off contact with him. I'm sure he knows where I am, and if he wanted to talk, he would have contacted me. Just leave it alone, Connor. My brother and I are both grown men, we can make our own choices." Gavin muttered, turning on his heel, hand on the door to head back inside. "The case file is on my terminal; I'll be going over them and then heading to the scene. Take as long as you need with them, okay?" "...Okay." Connor hushed and the trio watched as the shorter man left the group.

"...Something's changed between you two." Markus stated and Connor couldn't argue it. "He's been letting me stay with him while Hank is out for the meeting--he took Sumo with him--and..." "What?" Simon asked, a hand resting on Connor's shoulder. "I've seen a side to him that he doesn't show at work; a softer, more playful side. One where he's not trying to keep up an appearance, where he's just the man that he truly is, and I..." Connor sighed heavily. "Last night, he went grocery shopping and right before he left, he kissed me. Nothing long, but it happened. When he came back, he told me that he took longer than he said he would because he was embarrassed by what happened and didn't want to face me again so soon. I had teased him about...something...and while I apologized after I did, he sought his own retribution and kissed me again. But, this time it was harder, purposeful and...it felt good."

"You think he's attracted to you?" Simon asked, and the once deviant hunter shrugged. "I...don't know. I mean, he's been kinder to me, helping me understand why certain things I do would bother or upset humans. But that kiss last night...it defiantly changed something in our relationship. Before, we were starting to get close and perhaps become friends; now? ...Now I don't know what this is, and it worries me." "Because he might pull away?" Markus asked. "...I don't know. He could, or he could try and move our relationship into a different direction without him really being aware of it." Simon placed both his hands on Connor's shoulders and got his full attention. "Whatever is happening with Gavin, there's something that you need to do too, Connor: keep an eye on how everything is making you feel personally.

"If he's doing things that you aren't comfortable with, tell him. If he's doing something that you like, but don't want to say anything, remember it." "Why?" "It's possible that you two could very easily fall in love with each other without actually knowing it, and be pining after each other for a lot longer than you need to." Simon stated and his words slapped Connor across the face. He hadn't thought about that. The only love he's felt before is the familial one he has with Hank; romantic and even sexual love he has no clue about. "I'll...keep that in mind. Thank you, Simon."

* * *

Gavin was just opening up his car door when he heard someone jog up behind him. "Connor? Finished talking already?" Named man nodded his head, having already pulled the file from Gavin's terminal and reviewed it. "Shall we?" Reed nodded his head and got in the car, starting it up and left for the crime scene.

It was in downtown, in one of the less population dense areas, so it was a little bit of a surprise that the murder was reported so quickly. Of course, that detail was cleared up when they saw who the victim was: an android. "Oh, boy. Did a human do this?" Gavin questioned to Connor as he stepped closer to the violently deactivated deviant, watching as he took a sample of the blue blood that was on the body. "...No. Another android did this." "What?!" That was a shock to everybody in the room. "Shit, I didn't think you guys would become basically human so quickly. Killing one of your own kind... Fuck, what's going on?"

Gavin let Connor examine the dead android, actually feeling his stomach churn a little as a memory threatened to pop into his mind, but he managed to shove it away. Moving from the entryway into what appeared to be the living room, Gavin glanced around to take it in. There was a mug that was once full of coffee knocked onto the floor, and the table that was in front of the large sofa was knocked onto its side.  _Signs of a struggle..._ Were the two androids living together? Did they have an argument that went too far? Was there anyone else here with them, and if so were they hurt? Those last two had Gavin really starting to worry.

Moving further inside, he reached the dining room that was connected to the kitchen, and in a picture frame by the window he saw something that made both his heart and stomach drop. "Connor!" He called, hearing as his temporary partner came closer. "What is it?" "Look." He pointed to the picture and saw Connor's face set into worry as well.

The picture was of two androids...and a male human.

"They all lived together." Connor proclaimed, glancing around the immediate area and saw more pictures of the trio, all of them of a clearly happy family; perhaps more, when he saw that there was pictures of the human kissing each android with deep affection, the androids kissing each other... A picture of a wedding, all three of them wearing wedding bands. "They were married." "Did you find any human blood anywhere?" Gavin asked, feeling as his chest tightened up; that memory he managed to push away before flashed across his mind, and he desperately kept his emotions in check.  _Not here. Breathe, Reed. Everything will be alright; you can still save him._

"...I don't see any blood anywhere, Detective. It seems that he either escaped, or was taken by the other android." "Can you figure out their names?" Connor scanned the photo of the trio together. "The female victim was named Abby, the male android is called Adam, and the human is Zack Caneving." "Any idea where this all started?" Connor moved further into the kitchen and shook his head. "It's difficult to say; Abby was killed by two gunshot wounds, and it's hard to say where the gun was in the house." Gavin moved down the hallway and glanced about the other rooms, hoping to find a gun case but having no luck.

"Does anything else look disturbed?" Connor let his environmental scan take in everything, and... "Here. This photo has been knocked out of place." He pointed out next to one of the bedrooms, scanning the room for any DNA evidence. "...It was in Zack's room." "So they had some kind of argument or altercation in the living room, Adam grows angry and goes for the gun in Zack's room, Zack must have followed him to try and calm him down, and they struggled for the gun here..." Gavin spoke aloud, glancing further up on the walls and ceiling. "Adam must have won the fight for the gun, took Zack hostage, and attacked Abby, who must have ran for her life when she saw Adam armed."

"It would seem so. The question is how did Adam take Zack away without causing a commotion, and exactly  _how_ did they disappear?" An idea struck Gavin and he hurried out of the house. "...I thought so." "What is it, Detective?" He pointed up right as one of the police drones drifted by. "I knew we had a patrol drone around here. Can you access the footage stored in its memory?" Connor nodded his head, understanding where Gavin was going with this. "We could figure out how they left if the drone caught them in time." Connor quickly interfaced with the drone and pulled the recorded footage from the last 8 hours to be safe, and then followed Reed back into the crime scene.

"So the blue blood you sampled was from Adam?" "Correct. Perhaps he and Abby got into a struggle over the gun when self-preservation took over, and Abby knocked into either his nose or mouth hard enough for him to bleed onto her clothes." They looked at the woman who was slumped in a corner between the wall and the floor, fear frozen on her face. "...Let's get back to the station and review the footage; the sooner we can find Zack and Adam, the better I'll feel." Gavin stated, Connor wanting to speak up, but the man was already gone before he could.

* * *

"God fucking damnit!!!" Gavin roared, shoving his hands through his hair in frustration. He and Connor have been combing through each frame of the drone's footage, but it had been on a different part of its route when the murder occurred. As one could guess, it was pissing Reed off. "So we don't know how Adam got away, or which direction he went, but we aren't too far behind them." Connor spoke up and Gavin shot him a glare. " _HOW_? We have no clue if he took a car, taxi, or bus; no idea what direction he went, and no real idea if Zack's in any immediate risk or not!"

"That's true, but we know that Adam is armed with a gun, and that Zack is alive and, for now, unharmed." The gentleness of the deviant's words helped ease some of the tension that had built in Gavin's body as they floated through his mind. He was right; they knew Adam was armed and that Zack, for now, was alive and well. It honestly could have been a lot worse. "...Maybe we should call it a day? Get some rest and come back to this fresh?" Connor suggested and Reed let out a long breath. "I guess so. Just pisses me off that we couldn't find out anymore..." Connor chuckled softly. "There's an APB out for Adam and Zack, and we have their images circulating in the news; it won't be long before a lead comes in, Detective."

Gavin, after a moment, agreed with Connor and took a long drink of his coffee. "I'm gonna have a smoke before we head home." Gavin informed the android as he gathered his things and quickly left the station. It was the fastest he's ever lit up a cigarette, sucking in a lungful so deep, the smoke was halfway finished when he stopped.  _Didn't think I'd have a case where I'd need two smokes..._ He hasn't needed to smoke two during a case in a long while, not since... His hand gravitated towards the scars on his face, painful memories slamming into his mind.

 _I need to locate them, and soon._ He wasn't going to have a repeat of one of the most painful memories in his life. Not again. Not when he's still so affected by the pain the first one caused him. "Gavin?" He nearly jumped out of his skin at Connor's voice. "You fucking dipshit! Don't scare me like that!" Connor frowned. "I'm sorry, Detective, but I have to ask: are you okay?" "What? Yeah, I'm fucking fine." "No, you're not." Connor countered and before Reed could get another word out, Connor's arms were wrapped around him. "...You have the same look on your face that you had at the crime scene. Full of pain and anguish." Gavin stiffened.

"Hank gets like that sometimes when he thinks about Cole; I know you most likely won't tell me what happened, but if you need a shoulder to lean or cry on when you get like this, I'm always here, Gavin." He couldn't help it, not with everything his mind has brought back to the surface.

His cigarette was dropped as he crushed Connor further into his body, a broken sob escaping him as tears stung his eyes before sliding down his cheeks and onto the android's neck and jacket. Connor didn't say a word. He just rubbed circles into Gavin's back, holding him tight to comfort him.

"W-We're gonna save him...right?" Gavin asked, his body and voice shaking. "Yes, Reed, we are."


	6. A Softer Night

"Do you mind if we stop at Hank's home?" "Your place? Sure; need some clean clothes?" Gavin asked, his eyes finally moving from out the window to Connor. He was letting him drive his car, honestly a little scared to be trying to drive in his current state of mind. "And a couple other things, but yes. Since I am staying with you until Hank returns, I thought it would be easier on both of us if I had my own things." "...You can wear my stuff, you know." Connor cocked a brow, glancing over to the detective when they were at a red light. "I...had assumed that you wouldn't want me to." "Why? Because I didn't have a uniform for you to change into? Con, I've never  _had_ an android before; why would I have something you can change into if I never had any spare clothes for you to wear at work?"

Connor glanced back to the road, turning on to the highway. "...I hadn't considered that, detective." "...Besides, if you came into work wearing my clothes, people would talk and spread rumors, and I didn't want you to try and deal with all of that bullshit while you worked." There was a long moment of silence as Connor got closer to Hank's other house; it was the one he had bought with his wife before Cole was born, and it was the one they lived in now, instead of the single bed and bath Hank had been living in when they first met. It wasn't that Hank or Connor were uncomfortable or opposed to sharing the same bed, Hank just wanted to let Connor finally have something he could call his own.

"...Have you had to deal with those kinds of rumors before?" Connor asked as he slowed down and turned into the empty driveway, putting the car in park and turning the engine off; it wasn't his car, so it didn't seem right for him to waste gas that he didn't pay for. "I have. A couple times actually." "Can I ask what they were about?" Gavin shifted in his seat, turning away from Connor. "...I'm sorry. I'm still...learning your boundaries." "What? No, it's fine. It's just been a long time since I thought about it." Gavin retorted, the deviant a little afraid that he might have hurt his neck by how quickly he turned back to him. "The first one...was with Tina; they all thought we were dating since we got along pretty well since the day I started working there." "But, you two obviously weren't." Connor stated and the human next to him nodded.

"She likes women, I like men, and we like to gossip together about our respected interests. I did try to set her up on a date with the receptionist." "Oh, the ST300 next to the gate; her name's Serenity, right?" "Yeah. Tina's always thought she was cute, and after ya'll turned deviant, well...I've had Serenity ask me about Tina." Connor chuckled warmly. "You're a good friend, Gavin." Named man shrugged, a mocked humble expression on his face. "They were interested in each other; why not try to set them up?" "So, what were the other rumors you had to deal with?"

Connor watched as Gavin's vitals jumped a little; his breathing got a little faster, his heartbeat had increased by three beats, and there was some heat on his cheeks. "There was only one other rumor I had to deal with, and it, uh... It kinda involved...Hank." That had his interest. "Was it along the same line as the first one with Officer Chen?" Gavin's cheeks darkened a little more, his breathing and heartbeat both grew faster, and he looked away from Connor completely, nodding his head. "...Was this back when you were still an officer yourself?" "...Y-Yeah." "What were they actually saying about you and Hank? That you were together?" "Um..."

Gavin shifted again, his hands coming to grip the bottom of his shirt, toying with it a little bit. "...Or, was it, something...more...than dating?" "S-Something more." Gavin curled up a little bit, Connor noting that as he curled into a half-ball in the passenger seat, that his stress levels lowered a little bit. "I-I, um... I guess I was very...obvious with my...infatuation with Hank, and since Hank at the time was working pretty close with me to help me get a decent foothold in my career, people...jumped to a conclusion." Reed flinched when Connor placed a hand on his shoulder, his expression soft and welcoming. "And that was?"

"T-That...we were...sleeping together." From what he understood from Hank, 'sleeping together' could mean just that, or it could refer to having sexual intercourse, and if Gavin's reaction to talking about this was any indication, it was the latter one that he was referring to. "But...you two weren't, right?" "...As much as I wanted it to be true, no we weren't." That surprised Connor. "You had a crush on Hank?" "...I still do. I mean, how could you not? He's a strong, dominating person with a firm yet gentle personality; he doesn't take shit from no one, but he won't tolerate shit being done to others. He was always so warm and kind when Cole was still alive, had this smile that could put anyone at ease." Gavin glanced at Connor from under his lashes. "...And you've brought that side of him back out. Before you, he was the man you met him: cold, distant, uninterested in most things outside of booze and russian roulette.

"I... I was honestly scared when I went to his house to check on him, only to find him blackout drunk on the floor, the revolver not far from him." Gavin pressed his hands into his face, trying to keep from crying again; his eyes were still a little red from earlier. "If he had been conscious and functioning for only a moment more, he would have been dead."

Gavin trembled at the memory.

He had been given a spare key to Hank's first home not long after he first started to work closer with the man, and then the key to the second one about two months after Cole had passed away, telling him that they could be a safe place away from his home if he needed one. It was four months after Cole's funeral that Gavin had went to check on Hank; he hadn't shown up to work in over a week, and Fowler couldn't get ahold of him. He knocked on the door twice and was greeted to the sound of Sumo barking in distress, pawing frantically at the front door. Gavin didn't think, he quickly unlocked the door and rushed inside, following Sumo to the kitchen where Hank was on the floor. He remembers screaming his name, throwing himself down next to him, his left hand slamming into something hard and cold and metal. He glanced to it and felt the blood drain from his face when he saw the gun mere inches from Anderson's hand.

He shoved it as far from the man has he could before placing his hands on Hank's shoulders and gently shaking him, calling his name. He didn't respond and fear started to take Gavin; he had already lost two people important to him, he didn't want it to happen again. He leaned down and pressed his ear against the lieutenant's chest, feeling as he breathed and could hear his heart beating steadily. It put some ease back into Gavin as he managed to wake Hank up and move the man to his bed; he was too scared that Hank would try to kill himself again, so he stayed the night at Hank's home. He double checked the gun once he had closed the door to the bedroom and felt a little bit of bile rise in his throat; if he had managed to pull the trigger one more time, he would have been dead.

Hank thanked Gavin for checking in on him the following morning during breakfast, Gavin making the man promise to never attempt to take his life like that again. They were already department rivals at this point in their careers, but that didn't mean that Gavin was heartless towards the man he still cared for deeply. Anderson agreed to never play russian roulette again, that he'd let something else take his life, before offering Gavin a ride to work, saying that he could use the company for a little bit; it was during those two weeks that Gavin had stayed with Hank that the rumor that they were having sex popped up again, but Gavin chose to ignore it this time around. He didn't care what everyone else thought; he just wanted Hank to be okay, even if it was just for a little bit.

"...I found him like that too. And I was just as scared, without really knowing why; he was someone I worked with, but from our short time together, I felt myself growing more and more attached to him." Connor spoke up, glancing to his lap where his hands had collapsed into. "...He was lucky that time too; the next bullet would have killed him." Gavin attempted to reach out, but came to a stop and pulled his hand back. "I think...we both can agree that we want Hank to be... to be happy, again." "I think so." They exchanged and this time, Connor was the one to reach out, setting his hand over one of Gavin's and letting the man do what he wanted with it; he chose to interlock their fingers and simply hold his hand.

It was a private, somber moment for them, but Connor didn't doubt that it brought them closer; he no longer saw if something he's done has brought him closer to or further from someone, he had to judge that for himself. "...You should get your things." Gavin stated after another moment, pulling his hand away from Connor's, though he really didn't want to; it felt nice to talk about these kinds of things with someone who won't judge him because of his sexuality or their first impression of him.  _I guess that's the good thing about androids._ Their minds were easier to change than a human's, and they were never judgmental without a damn good reason.

Connor stepped out of the car and hurried inside. He didn't like that, while Gavin did seem more comfortable after the conversation, he was still stressed.  _...Maybe I should..._ There was a thought that came to mind and he was hoping that Gavin was receptive to it.

* * *

Gavin was greeted to the loud meow of Simon right in his ear as soon as he removed his jacket, the cat on the counter and his tail thumping loudly against the granite. "Blame Connor! He had to get things from his home." Gavin explained to the feline, and Simon moved his eyes over to Connor, narrowing them as he hissed. "I'm sorry, Simon." He apologized, the cat still glaring at him, but appearing pleased by that apology and jumped off the countertop. "Little drama queen." "I'm guessing they're used to you coming home around a certain time." Gavin glanced over to Connor as he set the duffle bag next to the couch, the android bending down further to untie and remove his shoes.

"No, they're used to me getting home at different times; Simon just likes to be dramatic when I get home and he's been wanting dinner for a little bit." It made sense to Connor; Sumo was equally a drama queen when it came to certain things. ...Like having some trapped wind and being mildly uncomfortable because of it. Connor honestly thought Hank was gonna kill Sumo when they received the news from the vet. Shaking the thought away, Connor opened up his bag and grabbed the few toiletries he had and moved to the guest bathroom to put them there. As he walked out of the door, he heard Gavin bark out a laugh and raised a brow at him when he came back into the living room; he chuckled himself when he saw what made Gavin laugh: Storm had decided to make herself at home on top of his clothes in the bag.

"Is it comfortable in there?" He asked and she meowed happily, a soft purring coming from her, tail flicking joyfully from where it poked out from the bag. Connor glanced into the side closet and it got Reed's attention. "Whatcha lookin' for?" "A towel." "Like a bath towel?" Connor nodded his head and stepped out of the way when Gavin come over to help, pulling one down from the top shelf. "Planing to take a shower?" "...Actually, I was wondering if..." Connor glanced away as he took the towel from Reed, glancing back to him when he heard him giggle under his breath. "You blush blue." Which made it darker.

"Heh, what's on your mind, tin can?" "You seem tense, Reed, and I was wondering if you'd like to take a bath?" The offer had him pausing in thought. On the one hand, a bath sounded fucking great right about now, on the other hand... "Is this one with you  _in_ the bath with me, or..?" "N-No. I, um... Hank would treat me to a bath when I get too stressed out, taking care of me and just letting me relax." Ah. "Well... Ah, fuck it. Why not? It's been a long fucking time since I took a bath." Actually, the last time he took a bath was with... **him** not long after he had gotten some vacation time.

"Should I start getting naked now?" "No! No, you don't need to. I was going to wait until after we had dinner before drawing your bath." Connor explained and Gavin smirked at him. He reached for the bottom of his shirt and began to pull it off, only to break into laughter when Connor quickly turned around, his cheeks and the tips of his ears a faint blue. "Relax, Connor, I'm not naked." Gavin spoke up and he was fighting hard to not laugh right in Connor's face as he slowly turned back to face him, obviously not trusting his words. "So, dinner?" "Of course. What would you like, Gavin?"

The question threw the man off his guard. "What? No, Connor, you're my guest; I may be an asshole, but I'm not evil." "You've been in a state of high stress ever since we found the picture of Abby, Adam, and Zack together." He started, Gavin's mouth having been open, but quickly closing. "You need to relax a little bit, and treating you for a night isn't gonna kill me." "Might kill me." Connor chuckled warmly at Reed. "If Hank's survived living with my cooking for this long, I'm sure you can survive a night of it." "Ha! You been pickin' up the sassy remarks from me or Hank?" "Both of you, as well as Markus." "Now that's a surprise. I thought it would be Simon."

"No, according to Hank, Simon out right 'burns' people." Gavin chuckled warmly. "I knew there was another reason we got along so well." "...You still haven't told me would you'd like for dinner, Reed." Connor spoke, holding the smile that wanted to tug on his lips back for now. "...Surprise me." Gavin nearly purred and was amused when Connor smirked at him. "Okay, but you don't get to peak while I'm cooking." It was a challenge and Gavin was never one to back down from a challenge (against his better judgement at times). "Deal." He stated, taking a seat at the dining table and turning the TV on.

Connor quickly got to work, pulling up both a traditional italian and latin dish, and began pulling out the ingredients. Gavin apparently liked to cook, and liked to cook a  _lot_ since he has a ton of herbs and produce that most dishes call for readily available. Ok, so accepting that deal with Connor might have been a mistake. Gavin could hear as he chopped up whatever was needed for dinner like he's done it so much it was instinct; he heard as a pot of water started to boil, meat and produce hissing as they touched a pan, the sound of fresh dough being made. The sounds made his mind wander back to his childhood, back when he was still with his parents and his older brother, their mother making dinner in the kitchen all by hand; he remembers her gleeful squeak of a giggle when she spotted him trying to help cut up some carrots for the pot pie she was making, placing her hands over his smaller ones, showing him how to hold the knife, how to hold onto the carrot, and how to correctly cut it without hurting himself.

He can always recall the fond memories he has of his mother as she taught him how to cook the most basic of meals, his older brother having slowly grown closer to their father as his intelligence and interest in technology grew.  _"You are going to make some lucky girl very happy one day, Gavin."_ He knows her words were meant to encourage him, but they had only hurt; he was only 14, but he already knew that he was attracted to men. The only person he had told at the time was his older brother, and he made him promise to never tell their parents unless his safety was at risk if they didn't know.  _...At least he was good at keeping his word back then..._ He's not sure if he was now. He was drawn out of bittersweet memories by the smell of cooking vegetables and meat, freshly grated cheese, and bread baking.

"Realizing how hard it is now, Reed?" Connor teased, sparing a glance to the man over his shoulder. He smiled when Gavin flipped him the bird. "Aw, I like you too." Connor couldn't help his bark of laughter when Gavin choked and sputtered, the man almost turning around, but quickly remembering their deal and staying put. "Fucking androids..." Gavin muttered, but the smile didn't fade from Connor's lips. Reed heard as Connor plated their dinner, pulling out whatever silverware was needed, and walked over to the table. "Here you are." Connor said as he set the plate down, watching as Gavin turned to look and saw as nostalgic joy flooded his face. "No way! Did you really..?"

"I had to double check, but you do come from both a latin and italian lineage, so I thought it best to treat you to some traditional recipes. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio and Empanada, to be specific." "Yeah, people can see the italian in me, but never the latin." Gavin spoke up as he eagerly picked up the fresh from the oven Empanada, blowing on it gently to cool his first bite, and dug in. A pleased groan left him as he chewed, his face holding his satisfaction as he savored the bite. "I'm pleased it meets your standards." "You more than meet my standards, Con." Gavin, while he--hopefully--didn't let it show on his face, mentally freaked out about his choice of words. That phrase has such a double meaning, even more so with what happened the other night. Thankfully, Connor must have assumed that he meant the food, which was correct; the other option that was also on the table, to be frank, was also a correct assumption as well.

Should he really be trying to lie to himself at this point? He was attracted to Connor, there was no two ways about it. He's just trying to figure out now if he's attracted to him because he looks so much like  **him** , or if he fell of the android for a different reason? Ah, that could wait for another goddamn night; there was delicious food to eat!

* * *

"Oh it's been a long time since I've had a meal like that." Gavin was happily stuffed, Storm on his lap as she purred. Pumpkin decided that she's was gonna sling herself across Connor's shoulders and the man seemed just as happy as Pumpkin about that choice; Simon had, surprisingly, taken Storm's place in Connor's duffle bag, having drifted to sleep inside. "...I didn't think he'd actually be in your bag." "Not something he normally does until he's used to someone?" Connor asked, remembering how much time it normally took both Storm and Simon to grow comfortable around new faces.

"Yeah. ...You may actually get to be the first to have them both like you so fast. I really wasn't exaggerating when I said it took them that long to adjust to people." Connor hummed, reaching up to scratch Pumpkin behind her ear. "...I'll go draw up your bath." Oh right. This was kinda a night for Gavin to just relax for a little bit. Pumpkin leapt off Connor's shoulders as he stood up, Reed watching as he moved to the guest bathroom, closing the door just enough for some light to peek out; the sound of running water greeted his ears moments later.

Connor glanced under the sink, hoping to find something to scent the water to help Gavin relax further, and what he found made him giggle like a child. "God, I thought Hank was the only one to still have something like this." Pouring a healthy amount into the now pooling water, Connor stood up and poked his head out of the door. "Did you want to pick out your night clothes, or do you care if I do?" He called, Gavin still at the dining table. "You can." He responded, Connor watching as Simon jumped out of his bag and trotted over to him, meowing quizzically at him. He reached down and stroked Simon's head, smiling as his ears flicked back and a soft purring sounded from him. "...Yep. All of my cats like you." Gavin announced, a pleased smile on his lips.

Returning the grin, Connor ducked into Gavin's room, pulling out a pair of loose sweats and a short sleeved shirt. Moving back into the bathroom and setting the clothes on the counter, Connor checked the water level and was pleased with it, so he turned the water off. "Bath's ready." Connor's voice was soft as he spoke, and Gavin had an idea why. "No need to get embarrassed, tin can; you were bound to see me naked anyway." "W-What? I don't, um... I, uh..." Gavin's chuckle pulled him away from trying to form a reply. "Don't worry, it wouldn't be intentional; I just sometimes forget when I have company and...well, do I really need to explain this one?" "Nope." Connor may have said that a little too fast.

"And you can leave the door cracked; they like to join me for a lot of things." "I'm guessing not when you work out though." " _No_. Not after I accidentally kicked Pumpkin into the pads." Gavin hissed softly as he remembered that moment; he honestly still thinks that her pissing on his bed was retaliation for basically punting her into the mats, even if he said a thousand times it wasn't on purpose. Connor let Gavin lead the way back to the bathroom, enjoying the sound that came from him at what he saw. "A bubble bath? Oh, you are spoiling me." "It's apparently a thing I do." "Sumo and Hank deserve to be spoiled, especially Sumo." Connor had to agree with him on that.

His breath, however, was taken away from him when Gavin quickly pulled off his shirt, having turned to toss his clothes into the hamper he had in the bathroom. Connor first saw the dozens of scars that littered Gavin's torso; most of them looked like gashes or cuts that didn't heal correctly and left the scars behind, but he also saw two gunshot scars as well. One was just above his right hip, nothing vital being in that area, but it was the second one that made Connor concerned; if had just been a fraction lower or a fraction more to the right, that bullet would have punctured Gavin's lung or torn his aorta, or both and he would have been dead depending on the circumstance.

The second thing he noticed was that Gavin has tattoos. On his right forearm, there's a grey scale raven wrapping around the limb, meant to appear to be in mid-flight; as Gavin turned to fully face Connor as he undid his pants, he saw on his left arm just under where the body part joined with his shoulder was another grey scale tattoo, this time of a rose being impaled by a knife, the knife taking the place of the stem for the rose. As Gavin stepped out of his pants, Connor saw as more laceration scars were on his legs, as well as another tattoo; this one was more basic, a tribal style tattoo of barbed wire that was wrapped all the way around his left ankle and had another layer of it directly above the first one. As he turned his back to Connor to possibly spare him any more embarrassment as he slid his boxer-briefs off, the android saw more scars as well as one last tattoo. It was between his shoulder blades and followed his spine, the Latin phrase  _Angelus non alatum_ written onto his skin.

"Wingless angel?" Connor asked as he translated the Latin into English. "Yeah. Angels are usually thought of as divine protectors, with their wings acting as a shield for those they're protecting. But, not every angel has wings, not every angel is able to protect large numbers of people, sometimes they can only protect whomever is closest to them at the time; doesn't mean that they don't  _want_ to protect more, but there's only so much they can do." Almost instantly, he understood the symbolism behind the phrase; Gavin was a cop, and while they as a whole can protect thousands and thousands of lives, Gavin can only protect whoever is being threatened in the moment or doing what he can in the aftermath of an event. He can only do so much to protect the people he's meant to serve, but he  _wants_ to protect so many more. "...I'm glad you care so deeply about that."

"...How could I not? Two of the people I loved the most have already been taken away from me; I don't want to lose anymore people I care about." "Gavin..." He didn't know what to do. Here was a man who has completely exposed himself, both physically and emotionally, to Connor and he didn't know how to comfort him. Gavin didn't seemed too bothered by it as he climbed into the bath a moment later, an ecstatic groan escaping his lips as he settled into the water. Connor removed his jacket and tie, bending down to roll his pant legs up when Gavin said, "Why don't you just take those off?" Connor glanced up to him. "...You want me to take my pants off when you're already naked? Really Gavin?" "Really." The honesty in his tone was something Connor didn't expect. "You can take your shirt off too." "...Are you sure?"

"Connor," Gavin started, sitting up a little, some of the bubbles clinging to his skin, "I wouldn't be suggesting these things if I wasn't comfortable with them. I know I can be an asshole and that I come off as cold or unwelcoming at times, but that doesn't mean I'm a heartless bastard, or someone who'd force you into doing something you don't want to do, or don't feel comfortable doing." They locked eyes for a moment before Connor sighed. "Fine. You win." He quickly stripped down to his underwear and... Maybe this wasn't one of Gavin's best ideas.

This was the first time he's ever seen Connor basically naked. He has a lithe build but his muscle tone compliments it well; there was the clear trace of his Thirium pump in the middle of his chest, right below where the diaphragm would be in a human. Other than that, he appeared human; well, minus the fact that he had no hair on his body besides on his head. "I guess Cyberlife thought it would be better if you didn't have other body hair, huh?" "I think having to simulate body hair on our skin would have taken a few more seconds than originally thought and nothing could be done to adjust for it, so they didn't bother with it." Connor guessed. If he really wanted to know, he could always visit Kamski and ask.  _He might have me try to shoot Chloe again, though._ He didn't like that thought.

Grabbing the cup he had on the counter, Connor settled behind Gavin, sitting on the lip of the tub, his legs trapping the man between them. Gavin couldn't help his chuckle when Connor flinched as he gently caressed his right calf with the back of his hand. "Sorry; I was just curious." It was soft and smooth, and he wasn't gonna lie, he liked how that felt against his own skin. Connor tenderly threaded his hand through Gavin's hair, getting the man's attention. "As long as you don't try to do anything untoward, I don't mind; Hank does it from time to time as well." "You mean he lets you bathe him?" "You're letting me, aren't you?" He had a point. Reed let Connor tip his head back as he heard him fill the cup with the water from the bath, feeling as it soaked his hair and ran down his neck and back, the warmth of it relaxing him a little more.

He dampened Gavin's hair a few more times before setting the cup on the edge of the bath and reached for the shampoo bottle, cracking it open and squeezing the correct amount to use into his palm, closing the cap a moment later. Gavin heard as Connor spread the shampoo between his hands before they were in his hair, and fuck did that feel good. Connor noticed the soft groan that left Gavin's throat as he gently massaged the shampoo into a lather, seeing as the human sank a little further into the bath. Gavin let his eyes fall close as Connor massaged the shampoo though his hair, feeling as his nails gently scraped against his scalp in little circles. It's been so long since he's been able to relax, he honestly forgot how good it felt.

He tilted his head to the side when he heard the door creak a little further open, chuckling when Simon wandered in. "Come to join me, have you?" Gavin asked and Connor got a little concerned as the cat jumped onto the edge of the tub; from what he knows, cats like to drink water, not get in it. So imagine his surprise when Simon slipped into the water, Gavin reaching up to scratch under the feline's chin, both men hearing him purr. "My little weirdo." "He likes to be in water?" "Yeah. He's the only one who won't fight me when I have to give them their monthly baths." Simon meowed softly as he moved closer to his owner, crawling a little onto his torso before lounging against it. "...Your stress levels have gone down a great deal already." Connor commented as he grabbed the cup and began washing out Gavin's hair, the man now having a seemingly permanent smile on his lips.

"Have they? I haven't really noticed." "Heh, liar." Reed only laughed warmly in response. They were quiet as Connor worked the conditioner through Gavin's hair, the brunette almost fully relaxed at this point, Simon having chose to leave them and wandered out of the bathroom, taking a moment to begin grooming himself dry. Half of the bubbles were gone as Connor rinsed out Reed's hair. "...Con, get fully naked." "W-What?" Connor's face heated up as Gavin turned to face him. "Get naked and join me." "Reed, I..." "Please?" He asked. It took Connor a moment to understand what just happened.

Gavin  _asked._ He  _asked_ him to join him in the bath.

The man between his legs does not just  _ask_ for something. Not unless, it seems, he really wants what he's asking for as he seemed to deflate a little when Connor didn't respond. Gavin's attention turned back to Connor when the man stepped out of the bathtub and headed for the door. "Con? Look, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--" He stopped talking when Connor raised his hand, watching as he left the bathroom. Gavin sunk a little lower into the now warm water. He shouldn't have asked Connor to do that. The fuck was he thinking? He's only been staying with him for only two nights, tonight being the third; why the hell did he think that Connor would ever be comfortable enough with him in such a short time to suggest something like that?  _You stupid moron... Always having to ruin a good thing._ He cursed to himself, not glancing up when he heard Connor returning.

"Sit up a little, Reed." Connor spoke and Gavin did so without much question, thinking that maybe Connor wanted to wash his back or something like that. What he wasn't expecting was to feel as the water level rose as Connor slipped in behind him. He turned to face the android as best as he could in the tub, feeling as Connor actually shifted him so he was on his left side before his arms curled around him and pressed him against his body, his head on Connor's chest as he laid back, the water gently lapping at his chest as it slowly stilled. "Better?" "Connor..." "I apologize if it appeared that I wasn't interested in your request, Gavin." He stated, glancing down to look into Gavin's green-grey eyes. "I hadn't considered that you might want me to fully join you, so I didn't have a spare change of clothes of my own in here." Gavin snapped his eyes to the counter and sure enough, right next to his own clothes, were Connor's.

Connor was glad when Gavin's stress levels went back down; he hadn't meant to stress him out, he just never thought Reed would want him to join him. Gavin shifted a little against Connor's body and rested his right hand on top of Connor's chest, his head now further up so it was on his shoulder, his face tucked a little bit into the android's neck; Connor simply had his left arm on the edge of the tub, his right curled around Gavin's waist. The deviant does admit, he likes how Gavin's body looks, scars, tattoos, and all. He likes how his leg and arm hair tickle his skin, how his stubble gently scrapes against his neck; likes the healthy dusting of chest hair he has, seeing the tiny bit of the trail of hair that lead to his private that poked out from between the water and bubbles. "...You really are beautiful, Gav." He swallowed hard at the compliment.

"...You okay?" Connor asked when he noticed that Gavin's heartbeat had picked up its pace a little bit. "I'm fine. I-I just... I didn't expect you to say that."  _But, God, please don't stop doing it._ It was in these tiny moments that he could put another piece into the puzzle of his attraction towards Connor; another chance to point out the similarities and differences between  **him** and Connor, to find the real, honest reason he's so drawn to him. "...I will say that I like these moments with you, Gavin." "Yeah?" "Yeah. You're not trying to keep a certain 'image' here, not trying to keep your reputation as 'stubborn hardass who can't stand androids'. You're just...you, and I like seeing it." "...Are you ever hiding a part of who you are with Hank?" Gavin asked, curling his legs up a little bit as he glanced up at the man he laid against.

"...I sometimes try not to let him see just how worried I get when he drinks himself into unconsciousness. I know he's still dealing with the loss of his son, and that it's going to be a long, hard, and slow process, but... When he gets like that, his suicidal thoughts come back to taunt him, and I'm scared that I might not be there one night to talk him out of it." "You'll help him get to a more healthy mind set before you ever have to worry about that, Connor." Reed stated and Connor cocked a brow at him. "I was there when you got the confession out of Carlos's android, remember? You managed to convince him to confess without yelling at him or making him scared; you were gentle with your voice, calm and collected with how you spoke, and it clearly worked." Gavin shifted again, this time so he could look into Connor's chocolate eyes better.

"You could always comfort and reassure anyone: man, woman, child, android, it doesn't matter. You're a kind and gentle soul, Connor, one full of compassion and warmth that can slowly help heal anyone around you who's cold and bitter towards the world." "Gavin..." "I saw it happen with Hank; the longer you two worked together, the more I could see the hope returning to his eyes." Gavin pressed his hand firmly against Connor's chest and used it to push himself a little bit. "You, Connor Anderson, are a good man, and don't you dare let anyone tell you otherwise." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Connor's forehead, pulling back in time to see the smile that had spread on his lips. Gavin settle back against Connor and felt a smile pull on his lips when Connor rested his cheek against the top of his head.


	7. Habits

Gavin felt air rapidly moving next to his cheek before something rough and slightly wet was moving against it, chuckling as he turned and faced Pumpkin. "Good morning." He giggled as she groomed his nose, giving her a scratch behind the ear before sitting up and stretching.  _...Wait, when did I go to bed?_ The last thing he could remember was cuddling against Connor in the bathtub...both of them naked. He jumped a little at the knock that came from his bedroom door. "Gavin? Are you awake?" "Yeah." He replied, watching as Connor stepped into the room and sat on the edge of his bed, smiling when Pumpkin trotted over to him, the android stroking her fur a few times.

"How do you feel?" "...Is confused a normal feeling?" "Depends, confused about what?" "Con, the last thing I remember, you and I were naked in a bathtub. Did we...ya know,  ** _do_** anything?" Connor giggled that wonderful little giggle as a grin spread his lips. "No, we didn't do anything; you had simply fell asleep against me while we were in the bath, so I dried you off, got you dressed in the clothes I had put aside for you, and placed you in bed." Ah. That would explain why he doesn't remember anything past that moment. "So...get a look of all of me, huh?" "I could have, but I chose not to." Gavin was honestly a little curious on why he didn't; if it had been him, he'd wanna know what Connor's junk looked like.

"...Ah fuck! Are we late?" Gavin cursed as he glanced to the clock on his nightstand, seeing that it was 8 in the morning. "No, I've already called Fowler and explained that we might be late since you had some car trouble." Gavin glanced to Connor then, his eyes a little narrow. "Do I have some car trouble?" Connor sighed. "It seems that you had manged to drive over three different nails and punctured three of your tires; I've already had someone pick it up to replace the tires, but they won't be done until we're done with work; said that they're gonna do a full maintenance check while they have the car." Gavin groaned as he fell back against his bed, a hand coming onto his face. "I don't have the time to bother with those payments."

"Oh, you won't have to." Gavin peaked out from between his fingers, a brow raised at the android, who was now wearing the most devilish of smirks. "I've sent the bill to Fowler as a department expense." Gavin cracked up laughing. "Oh my God! Did you really?" Connor hummed a proud look on his face. "I figured that might be a good way to start your day." "Hell yes it is! Oh, I can't wait to tell Hank about this when he get's back!" "Oh, he knows I do these kinds of things from time to time." "He does?" Gavin asked, now propping himself up on his elbows. Connor hummed, "Chris is stressed enough as it is with his newborn child, and Tina certainly wouldn't be able to pay her medical bill quick enough to avoid paying interest on it." "...You do know that's a crime, right?" Connor shrugged. "As Hank once told me, 'if it's not hurting anyone, he doesn't bother them'."

"Would you look at that? A cop who commits crimes!" "Like you do?" Gavin froze at those words. "I don't break the law." "Yes you do; every time you ride your motorcycle." Gavin groaned at that. By law, all cyclists MUST wear a helmet and protective gear while they ride, and while Gavin does--at times--wear his riding jacket, he doesn't have a helmet, only riding goggles. "I'm careful when I ride that though! I'm not that much of a psychopath!" He defended, but saw the little smirk on Connor's lips. "Hank speeds and doesn't bother with his seatbelt any time he drives. I'm not accusing you of anything, Gavin, I'm just pointing it out." Named man rolled his eyes as he threw the sheets off his body, getting out of bed and stepping into his bathroom.

Connor waited until Gavin had finished peeing before stepping into the bathroom as well, leaning against the door. "Something I can help you with, tin can?" He saw Connor shake his head in the mirror, the android continuing to watch him in it, but he chose to ignore it, going about his morning routine. Thanks to the bath last night, he doesn't need to rinse off any dried sweat from the day before; as he finished maintaining his 5 o'clock shadow, he caught Connor's eyes in the mirror and noticed the fascination in them. "Not used to seeing someone shave?" "No, actually. Hank insists on keeping his beard, so all he ever does is trim it to keep the length of it how he likes." Gavin, after a moment, shrugged in agreement. "He does look good with a beard."

"Have you ever grown one out?" "I have, and I do  _not_ look good with one; not every man does." Connor nodded his head as he stepped further into the room, standing behind Gavin as he cleaned off his electric shaver. "Did you want anything for breakfast?" "Just some coffee." "Gavin, you need more than just caffeine when you wake up." Gavin sighed, Connor seeing his shoulders drop. "I know, I'm just...not feeling that hungry." Gavin knew why he didn't, but he was scared that Connor would ask him why; he didn't want to have to tell someone else one of his many secrets. Connor wrapped his arms around Gavin's waist, placed his chin on his shoulder for a moment, before he pressed a kiss to it. "...Alright. I'll grab you something small to eat when we get to the station if you do get hungry before lunch." "You're...not gonna ask about it?" Gavin had no idea why the question left his lips, turning to face the android as he started to leave.

"...I have an idea why you aren't hungry, and if I am right about it, I want you to know that you can always talk to me if it ever gets worse; I won't make you tell me anything you don't want to, but no matter what I'll be there for you." Connor didn't mean to make Gavin cry. The tears flowed down his cheeks too easily, wanting to fight against the episode, but unable to; true to his word, Connor just opened up his arms and held Gavin close as he wept. "...Do they happen often?" Gavin shook his head. "Do you have medication for them?" Again, he shook his head. "Have you told your doctor about this?" He nodded this time. "Did you both decided it would be better if you were unmediated?" Another nod.

"Okay. Everything's going to be alright, Gavin." Connor hushed as he rubbed circles into Gavin's back, rocking him from side to side as he did. "...You think you'd feel more at ease if we just stayed home today? Or would work be a better choice?" "Work. I... I-I think this one came up because of the case." Connor nodded his head, scooping Gavin up into his arms and setting him back onto his bed. "Deep breaths, Gavin. I'll take care of the litter and get you some coffee; you just focus on taking deep breaths and getting dressed, okay?" "...Okay." He said, voice shaky but a little grin on his lips.

Connor, once he saw Gavin take a couple of slow, deep breaths, went about doing the tasks he said he'd take care of, making sure to start the coffee first. As he headed to the room that was across from Gavin's bedroom, he saw as all of the cats quickly trotted into the room Gavin was in. Peeking inside, he saw as Storm quickly slung herself across his shoulders, Pumpkin splayed out over his lap, while Simon was knocking his head against Gavin's arms, hands, and chin. It was clear to Connor that the animals Gavin took care of were acutely aware of his mental state and were doing what they could to help calm him. Scooping the cat litter and double checking the level of it, Connor made his way back to the kitchen, making Gavin a cup of coffee, but instead of leaving it black like Gavin seems to like in the morning, he added a little bit of honey to it.

"Here you are, Reed." Connor spoke as he entered the bedroom, Gavin already dressed in his usual attire, though he spotted that he was now wearing a necklace. Or, to be more specific, dog tags. Two different ones hung from a silver chain and Connor reached for them, inspecting them. One of them had firefighter and EMT printed on the metal, between the words was the Detroit firefighter emblem; turning it around revealed the firefighter's prayer. The second tag was a standard military dog tag that had a black silencer around it.

Connor took in the information on the tag:  
**Jace** **Barone  
** **O Neg  
** **665 89 1204  
** **USMC SgtMaj  
** **No Preference**

"...Is that the same Jace you mentioned before?" Connor asked softly. "...Yeah." Connor threaded his hand through Gavin's hair, but said nothing more. As he took the coffee from Connor and swallowed a mouthful of it, more memories flashed through his mind.  **He** would treat Gavin to honey sweetened coffee whenever Gavin had a rough night or woke up not feeling well; the caffeine helped to keep him awake while the honey would help settle his stomach and put him more at ease. "...Thank you, Connor." "Of course." Connor replied, taking a seat next to Gavin, stroking Pumpkin's fur when she crawled into his lap, Simon now laying across Reed's legs, Storm still on his shoulders. "Do you think you'd be okay enough to drive us to work, or should I call a taxi?" "As much as I would love to ride by bike right about now, I think a taxi's the better option." Connor nodded and called a taxi to arrive in the next twenty minutes; he wanted to give Gavin as much time as he could before they went to a place that Connor knows stresses both Hank and Gavin out.

While Gavin sipped on his coffee, Connor turned the TV on so there was noise in the room, knowing that Hank left the TV on half the time for the mere background noise of it. Reed leaned his head against Connor's shoulder at some point, mug of now warm coffee in his hands, the tiniest hint of a smile on the corners of his lips. "...Taxi's here." "Alright." Gavin spoke, his voice a little rough like he's trying to fight off more tears, which Connor doesn't doubt. They moved into the living room, Gavin stepping into the kitchen to clean out his mug while Connor finished dressing, joining the human at the front door.

* * *

When they arrived at the station, Connor quickly ducked into the break area and was surprised by the face he saw there. "Tina? What are you doing back?" She wasn't suppose to be back for another five weeks. "I needed to remind Fowler that I'm on medical leave so I can still pay my bills; what are you doing in here, Connor? Gavin wanted his coffee early?" Connor had sorta started to take down times when Hank and Reed would get fresh coffee and do it for them so they could focus on their work; Gavin was nervous the first few times Connor did this, but eased up once he saw that it wasn't just him he was fetching coffee for.

"...Gavin had an episode this morning; I'm getting him something small to eat in case he felt hungry before lunch." Connor stated flatly. He knew Tina and Gavin were extremely close long before Gavin had told him, and he figured that she would know about Gavin's mental health better than Connor did at the moment. Just like he thought, Tina's expression had understanding washing over it, a gentle hum sounding from her. "...Has he told you anything about his depression?" "No, and I'm not going to push him to; he can tell me about it if he likes, and when he's ready to." Tina smiled warmly as she patted his shoulder. "You're a good man, Connor; I'd have to kick your ass if you said anything else." Connor chuckled under his breath at the threat he didn't doubt Chen would keep her word on.

"His stomach can sometimes get extremely upset when he has an episode, so bananas are a good choice; he also does better if his hands have something to mess with if he finds himself idling, so walnuts with the shells are also good, plus he likes to snack on nuts anyway." "I've noticed that; still doesn't stop him from eating donuts like Hank though." Tina laughed again, a little harder and Connor felt a little bad when she hissed in pain. "Sorry." "No, it's actually been a long time since I've had a good laugh." Footsteps approached them before, "Tina? The hell are you doin' here?"

Gavin appeared in the room and the woman just smiled, lifting up an arm. Reed quickly hugged her as tight as he dared, knowing that Tina's body doesn't handle pain that well, even with meds. "Had to remind Fowler that I can't exactly work right now, so I'll be needing my medical pay." "Ah, you would do that." Connor didn't miss just how much more at ease Gavin was with one of his friends around; Chris's shift got moved, so he and Gavin only talk for a few moments when Reed and Connor leave for the day. As Connor checked the vending machine to see if they had any shelled walnuts, he heard Tina's voice, "No, no, you big baby. No crying now that I'm a ghost." "...Fuck you." Gavin weakly responded and Connor glanced over to see Tina pressing Gavin's head against her shoulder, the man clinging to her just like he did with him this morning.

A frown creased Connor's brow. He didn't like seeing Gavin like this; reminded him too much of Hank, blackout drunk with his revolver in hand.  _I really don't like seeing the people I care about upset or in pain, don't I?_ He questioned to himself and then noticed his own words. The **people** I  _care_ about. As in Hank  _AND_ Gavin. Though, to be honest, it wasn't much of a surprise to Connor; given what's been happening between him and Reed, as well as the two months they spent after the revolution getting to know each other better, and thus getting closer, there was no avoiding the possibility of Gavin becoming one of the few people Connor cared so deeply for.

Finding the nuts Tina had mentioned, Connor got two packets of them as well as a banana off the counter next to the fresh box of donuts, and headed towards Gavin's desk. Tina had walked Reed to his station and the android watched as she pressed a kiss to his cheek before she left, waving a goodbye to Connor as she did. "Here." "Ah, I figured you two were conspiring against me. Only she knows that I like to snack on nuts." "I've noticed it long before she mentioned it, Reed." "Really? Shit, I thought I hid that better." Connor chuckled as he leaned against Gavin's desk. "Well, you're certainly still fooling Hank, if that makes you feel any better." He'll take the smirk that flashed across his lips as a yes.

"...I'll be at my desk if you need me, Reed." Connor hushed as he smoothed down some of Gavin's hair, the man's eyes falling closed as he did so. "Okay. If I...need a moment alone, I'll head up to the roof." Gavin informed him and ex-deviant hunter nodded his head, giving the detective's shoulder a quick squeeze before going to his desk. About two hours into their shift, Connor noticed that Gavin had indeed gotten hungry and had just finished up the banana, now starting to crack open the walnuts by hand, which was impressive given how much force is needed to do such a task by hand. Connor now understood why Gavin sometimes has empty coffee cups sitting on his desk as he dumps the broken and empty shells into it, leaving next to no mess behind on his desk.

* * *

"Detective Reed?" Both he and Connor glanced up to the officer who had just returned from patrol. "I'm sorry to bother you, but a lead on the android who took the human it was living with has just turned up." "The human  _he_ was living with, and thank you." Gavin corrected sharply, the officer looking down at his feet before quickly moving away. Gavin was very adamant about correcting humans about referring to an android as he or she and not it. Gavin turned in his chair so he was facing Connor, fully aware that he heard what the officer just said. "Shall we?"

The scene was in an alleyway, still in downtown, which was good news in a way. "Means they didn't leave the house in a car or bus, and Adam clearly didn't have time to call and wait for a taxi." Connor commented as they reached the scene. "Which means they're running on foot; should make things easier in the long run..." Gavin replied, the duo getting out of the patrol car they had to borrow since Gavin's personal car was still being worked on. In the alley there was two humans, male and clearly on Red Ice, as Connor found traces of it around their mouths when he ID'd them.

"Scott Foster and Blake Deress; both convicted of drug dealing, armed robbery and property damage." "I guess they got what was coming to 'em." Gavin glanced over the scene, spotting something half hidden behind a trashcan. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He asked as he moved the can out of the way, Connor bending down to scan the gun that had been behind it. "It's the one Adam used to kill Abby." "Anything else you can tell?" Connor glanced back to the two victims and carefully rolled Scott over. "He was killed with the gun." "And not a knife like his friend over here?" Connor nodded.

He quickly reconstructed the scene and informed Gavin of what he knows. "It seems that Adam and Zack must have been here for a little while, perhaps Zack trying to calm Adam down, when Scott attacked them." "You sure they were here for a bit?" Connor nodded his head, pointing to the left side of the mouth of the alleyway. "There's a small pool of blue blood belonging to Adam, and given the size of it, I'd say they would have been talking here for at least a good fifteen minutes." "So Scott attacks them, with what? A knife?" "It would seem so, as there's no traces of blood on the knife Blake has; perhaps seeing Zack threatened caused Adam to respond, killing the man with the gun, but it must have been the last one in the chamber."

"And you know this because..?" "There's traces of Blake's DNA on the gun, but given the position of the two victims, Blake was further away from Scott." Connor turned to face Gavin. "Adam must have tried to shoot the gun again after seeing Blake, but when it didn't fire again, threw the gun at him which gave him enough time to grab the knife off Scott and slit Blake's throat." "Can you see if there's a trail? Might tell us which way they went." Gavin suggested, letting Connor pass him to go down further into the alley; he followed him about halfway down when he turned into another corridor, going down that for a bit. They reached the other side of block, but Connor stood still for a moment before shaking his head. "Adam must have wiped the knife on his clothes or something else; I can't see the trail anymore."

"Well, at least we know they headed this way; there aren't too many places for them to hide out in this area, and I'm sure Zack's trying to calm Adam down, making them stay in one place for longer." Gavin commented, digging into his pocket and pulled out a smoke, lighting it up as Connor approached him. "...It's going to be alright, Gavin." Named man glanced over to him as he took a drag of his cigarette, holding the smoke for a moment before blowing it up. "We'll...find them before Zack gets hurt, right?" "Of course we will, Gavin. Don't you doubt that for a second, okay?" Reed nodded his head, leaning against the brick wall behind him as the weight of this case and old memories pressed against his shoulders. Connor chose to stay by Gavin's side as he finished his smoke, taking a moment now and then to rub little circles into Reed's shoulders or the small of his back.


	8. Happy Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE!!!

Stepping out of the taxi that brought them to Gavin's home, the human was pleased to see that his car was back, fully repaired and taken care of. "I still can't believe you sent the bill to Fowler." Gavin said with a little smile, his mood thankfully having picked up a little bit. Connor made his way to the front door and opened it with the copy of the house key Gavin made for him while he was on lunch. ' _Since you're livin' with me for the time being, might as well have your own key to the place._ ' His words rung in his head for a moment as he swung the door open.

And found Markus and Simon sitting at the dining table. "Markus? Simon?" Connor spoke up, Gavin coming up behind him and groaning softly. "How the hell did you two get in my fucking house?" "I picked the lock." Markus admitted after a moment, Simon standing up and moving towards them. "Connor had sent us a message this morning that you had an episode and we got a little worried, so we came to check on you." "Oh really now?" Gavin said flatly, turning his narrowed gaze to Connor who was playing innocent.

One of Gavin's cat appeared out of the woodwork and Reed groaned. "Do you have a nickname or something?" Gavin asked Markus's boyfriend and the android raised a brow. "I do, why?" Gavin chuckled as one of his cats trotted up to him, picked them up. "Simon, meet Simon." The siamese mewled happily to the android, reaching up and gently placing his paw against Simon's cheek, the blonde smiling widely. "Simon the siamese?" "Hey, he wasn't mine to start with!" Gavin retorted at Markus's comment, easing the cat into Simon's arms. "Here, most cats feel more comfortable if their paws are supported." Gavin muttered as he adjusted the android's hold, the feline softly mewling and nudging his head against Simon's cheek. Of course, that's when Gavin noticed that Storm was sitting happily in Markus's lap.

"What the hell is up with my cats liking androids so quickly! You've guys have been here for what, an hour?" "Does it normally take longer?" "Yes! At least for those two!" Gavin stated, jabbing a finger towards feline Simon and Storm. "Storm takes a week and Simon takes two! The only one who loves everyone is Pumpkin, and where the heck is she?!" On cue, Pumpkin leapt up onto Connor's shoulders from the couch, meowing at Reed. "Oh shut it!" Their owner barked and the androids all let out a laugh, Gavin looking flustered but smiling. The siamese jumped onto Gavin's shoulders and meowed loudly into his ear. "Ok! No need to yell at me." Having calmed down, Gavin went about his normal evening routine, Simon giggling when Gavin moved the cat of the same name onto the counter where his food dish was, Reed treating them with wet food tonight.

"So, you two planning to stay the night?" Gavin asked, plopping down into a chair at the dining table, Connor and Simon joining a moment later. "If you'd like us to. Carl has built us a house for Josh, North, Simon, and I, but if you'd like more company for the evening we're more than happy to say." "Really? Don't you two have a honeymoon to go on, or something?" Reed teased, but Markus just smiled. "It can wait if someone Simon and I call our friend needs us; Simon's idea, by the way." "Hey!" The duo exchanged a warm smile, and while he enjoyed the sight, it also brought a flash of too familiar and painful memories.  _...Will I ever get to smile like that again?_

A smile full of deep love and warmth. A smile where you could lower all of your shields and know that the person you're sharing that smile with will never hurt you when you remove your guard.

He misses that kind of smile. He wants to smile like that again, but he knows that it'll never happen.  _Connor's called me beautiful, sure, but he could just mean that as a good and trusted friend._ Tina and Chris shower him with those kinds of praises, and he's guilty of doing the same for them in return, and doesn't doubt he'll start doing it with Connor too. How could he not? All of the androids he's friends with are stupidly good looking for him NOT to sing their praises. "...Jace Barone?" Simon asks softly, lifting the dog tags around Gavin's neck to get a better look at them. "Yes, he..." Gavin swallowed nervously; was he really ready to tell someone, anyone, more about him?

"He was a good friend of mine; we were extremely close--closer than I am with Tina--and...he passed away 12 years ago." "Oh, I'm so sorry, Gavin. I can tell that...this isn't easy to talk about..." Markus spoke, his hand on his shoulder while Connor's hand found his, Reed gripping it tightly. "Thank you. H-He was... He was a good man, and I miss him a lot." Reed stated with an uneven breath, all of his cats instantly on him, nudging their heads against his neck and face, Storm grooming his cheek in comfort. "Slow breaths, Gavin. It'll be alright."

"...Will it?" He honestly asked. It's been 12 years since Jace passed away, but the pain of it still hurt as freshly as it did back then. "It will. You'll need to give it time, and perhaps have an open, honest talk with someone you trust about it, but it will get better." Connor replied, gently pulling Gavin against his body; Markus and Simon didn't miss the way the simple action put so much ease back into the human. "...Why don't I make dinner?" Simon question, but Gavin shook his head. "No, no! You two are my guests, I don't make my guests cook!" "Yeah, you said that the other night too; didn't stop me did it?" Connor countered and Gavin glared at him with a soft growl, Simon chuckling, already out of his seat and in the kitchen.

* * *

"Tell North I said hi!" Gavin shouted from his front door, watching as Markus and Simon waved goodbye before stepping into the taxi. It had been a good evening so far; Simon had cooked a wonderful meal, the four of them enjoying a very old and classic Disney film that had come on one of the channels, having a few beers as the evening went on. Markus and Simon only had one, Connor two, and Gavin four. They thankfully didn't have work tomorrow, so he didn't mind drinking a little more than usual; three was his normal cut off, since  **he** was so adamant on having him still able to function enough to speak properly.

"Oh-ho! Trying to play catch-up are we?" Gavin teased as he saw Connor crack open his third beer, obviously buzzed and clearly enjoying the feeling of it. "Well, if you're having one more, so am I." "Do you always plan to drink one less than me?" Gavin asked as he rejoined Connor on the couch, grabbing his own beer and knocking back a mouthful. "I still need to be able to assess both the situation and your biological state should something happen." Connor reasoned and the logic made sense to Gavin.

"...I know you've called me beautiful before, Con, but fuck you're pretty." Reed said after he had tired Simon out, just drinking in the sight of the man sitting next to him. "Yeah?" "Yeah. It's really not fair that you're so pretty; you can get  _anything_ you wanted if you gave someone those famous puppy eyes of yours." Ah. So Hank did mention that. He had a feeling he might have. "Would it work on you?" "Fuck yes! God, you don't even need to give me the puppy eyes; you can just look at me and ask, and I'd do practically anything." "Really?" Connor asked.

The air between them changed.

That tension that had cracked between them the night Gavin had kissed Connor in retaliation for being teased swallowed them and it felt hard to breathe. Gavin could hear the blood rushing in his ears when Connor set a hand on his thigh, slowly sliding it up as he began to lean in just as slowly. "...You're nervous." "Hard not to be." Gavin replied, noticing that he's also leaned in a little bit as well, head tilted to the right, subtly inviting Connor to kiss him. He felt that he was starting to breathe just a little harder and faster as they inched closer and closer to each other, the tension burning on their skin, and Gavin admits he kinda liked it; he had no clue how Connor felt about this, but him? He liked it. A lot.

If either of them moved forward at all, they'll be kissing. But neither did. They just stared into each other's eyes, chocolate brown into green-grey, and it honestly felt good to be like this. Gavin was so close to what he wanted, but he wasn't going to force anything; he meant it when he said that he'd never push Connor into doing something that made him feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Consent was  ** _ALWAYS_** something he wanted to have with the people he's doing something with, whether it be kissing, sex, or even going into a Halloween attraction. If they weren't comfortable and didn't consent to it, he didn't force the issue.

Connor's hand gently squeezed his thigh and he didn't try to stop the little moan that left him; he wanted Connor to know that right now, without them doing anything, he felt good. And then it got better. "Gavin... May, may I kiss you?" "Oh God, yes. Please yes." He sounded like he was begging and to be honest? He probably was. It's something he's daydreamed about a couple of times as he and Connor got to know each other more. He would daydream about kissing Connor, on the cheek, on the forehead, on the lips, just so he could feel how soft his skin was under his lips. Connor leaned in the rest of the way and fuck his lips felt so goddamn good.

They were soft like Gavin always imagined them to be, and his didn't miss that Connor wasn't doing anymore than placing his lips to Gavin's. There was time for Gavin to back out if he wanted to. But he wasn't going to. Gavin's arm wrapped around Connor's shoulders, pulling him in a little more, signaling that Connor could go on and boy did he. His kisses were slow and gentle, testing the waters, seeing where the line was. He didn't want this to go any further, not wanting to make Gavin uncomfortable or worried he'll try to do something; after all, Gavin's had more to drink than Connor.

Gavin felt as Connor's hand slid up his leg more until it was brushing over his abs, then settling on his chest, right over his heart which was pounding like a jackhammer. He didn't doubt Connor could feel each beat of his frantic heart, and he loved that he pressed in a little more after feeling just how fast and hard his heart was beating. It wasn't just the kissing that made his heart pound like this; it was because  **Connor** was kissing him that it felt like his heart was going to burst. A man that he cares about. A man that he's calls a good friend. A man that he trusts. A man that he let into his home and private life. A man that he's attracted too. A man that he loves.

He's in love with Connor and that man can now  _feel_ that love as it beats hard and fast under his palm.

After a solid three minutes like that, Connor pulls back, letting Gavin take a shaking breath, their once closed eyes snapping open and locking together. "That...felt really fucking good." Gavin couldn't help the giggle that left him. "I love it when you curse." Connor smiled to him, before glancing down, a little bit of blue tinting his cheeks. "Hey. Whoa, what's going on, Connor?" Gavin asked, worried. "I, um... I, uh, have never...kissed anyone before, so..." "Wait... Con, was that...your first kiss?" His blush got deeper as he nodded his head. "I-I mean, I've obviously kissed your shoulders and cheeks and your forehead, and there's that one chaste kiss when you went shopping, and the one from me teasing you, but..." "That was the first REAL kiss you've had... Well, shit. I'm honored to be the one to let you experience that, Connor." Gavin stated with complete sincerity. He remembers his own first kiss pretty well, it having been with  **him** after their second date; he was bubbly for a good three hours after that, a smile printed on his lips each time he thought about it, which was all the damn time.

"There's a reason I...I-I asked to kiss you, um..." Connor got really flustered all of a sudden, and while it was fucking adorable, it made Gavin a little worried. "We've known each other for a good while now, and I've noticed that I... I've been...thinking about you. A lot. And, not just as a friend. I, I um..." Connor finally locked his eyes with Gavin's, who he was shocked to find listening to him so attentively. "I think... Gavin, I think that I...I like you, a lot." "Like as a friend, or more than that?" "More. I um... I-I think that you're very attractive, and I like the idea of being with you, I'm just..."

"Scared." Gavin finished and he understood where Connor was coming from. To be honest, as much as he's attracted to Connor, he's also scared of entering a relationship with someone. After he lost  **him** , he's been scared that he'll date someone who he'll lose again. Sure, he knows he can't control the universe and prevent those kinds of things from happening, but the thought still scares him. "Connor, I admit, I find you really attractive too, and I really like the thought of us being together, but if you're nervous about it, why don't we just go slow and see how it plays out?" Connor looked stunned, but Gavin's not sure by what: his confession or his suggestion.

"I-Is that...something we can do?" "Sure we can. We're both nervous about getting together and dating, and I'd rather know that you're comfortable with the idea of us being together than rushing into this and it ending in a disaster." Gavin placed his hand on Connor's, both of them having shifted a little apart after the kiss. "I know it doesn't seem like it based on my work persona, but consent is something I always want in an intimate relationship; I really meant what I said last night: if anything that I suggest makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, you tell me." "Gav, it sounds like you were in a dominate/submissive relationship before." "Because I was; and to surprise you further, I was the submissive." Okay, yeah, Connor REALLY wasn't expecting that.

"But my dominate and I always strive for clear consent before we did anything sexually intimate; kissing and things of that nature were always something I consented to, and I always made it clear when I didn't want those kinds of things." Gavin shifted to face Connor a little more. "I'm not saying that what we'll do will be anything like that, but I am saying that if you're okay with us doing something, then I'm okay with it too." "So...if I wanted to sleep with you in your bed tonight?" "I'd be fine with that. But I know that, for right now,  _you're_ not totally comfortable with that idea." "...How can you tell?"

Gavin smirked. "I may have been the submissive in my past relationship, but that doesn't mean I didn't take control now and then; plus, I've always been good at reading people and understanding their emotional state. It's why I'm so damn good at interrogating humans." Well, despite the snarky tone to his words, Connor will give Gavin that one; it only takes Gavin a few minutes alone with a human suspect before he's able to get them to confess. "...What if I wanted to kiss you?" "Then kiss me. As long as you're fine with me kissing you too, I don't mind it." "Even if I wanted to kiss you in the field?" "Even if you wanted to kiss me in the field." Connor was still just in awe about how honest and open Gavin was being with him right now. He's seen this kind of vulnerability when he's alone with Hank, but to see it in Gavin, a man who is an asshole and always comes off as a cocky hardass? It was going to take some getting used to.

"Kissing, holding hands, hugs?" "All things I'm fine with. No matter what you suggest, if you're okay with it, and you're okay with me doing it in return to you, then I'm fine with it." "How the hell do we even describe our relationship now?" "Many people would call it a 'friends with benefits' relationship, but for right now, when nothing we're doing is sexually intimate, calling our relationship a platonic one is fine." "Platonic?" Connor asked, tilting his head a little. "God you're fucking cute." Gavin muttered, Connor blushing a little at his words. "And a platonic relationship is one where the people involved are affectionate and intimate  _without_ being sexual."

"I'm...not quiet sure I follow." "Remember last night? When you and I were cuddled together in the bathtub?  **That** is what a platonic relationship is like." Oh. A few more moments clicked into place in Connor's head. "So...the times we've spent eating together or just being around each other without saying anything?" "Yep. Platonic moments. Most friendships are like that, but usually without the level of intimacy we shared last night." Connor hummed, eyes flickering down to his knees, deep in thought. "I...would like that, Gavin." Connor locked their eyes together and didn't miss the faint hope shining in the human's eyes. "I would like to...test the waters with you." Gavin thought his face was going to break in half from how wide he smiled at Connor's words. "Glad to hear it."


End file.
